Police have arrested a man in Martock in connection with a laser being shone at aircraft. Plans to build a new primary school in Chard have been put on hold. The waiting time for a driving test in Somerset is now more than six months, according to the Motor Schools Association and a Somerset cider producer has joined a national campaign calling for cider to be made up of a minimum of 50 percent apple fruit juice.
Police have arrested a man in Martock in connection with a laser being shone at aircraft. It follows reports of pilots operating out of RNAS Yeovilton and Bristol Airport being targeted by a laser, while flying over the Martock area. The man has since been released under investigation, and enquiries are ongoing.
Plans to build a new primary school in Chard have been put on hold. A site for a new school has been identified with the school needed to cater to the many hundreds more new homes being built in Chard. But Somerset County Council now says currently there is no requirement for Chard to have a new primary school provided and has cancelled borrowing of £5 million pounds to fund the project. The County Council says it will look again at building a new primary school in Chard in 3-years-time.
The waiting time for a driving test in Somerset is now more than six months, according to the Motor Schools Association. Nationally, the problem is worse with over half-a-million people currently waiting for a date to take a test.
A Somerset cider producer has joined a national campaign calling for cider to be made up of a minimum of 50 percent apple fruit juice. Currently, the drink can have as little as 30 percent apple juice in it. John Lawrence, who runs Lawrence's Cider in Corton Denham, near Sherborne, says it would mean planting more trees which would be good for the environment.
A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more
EDF has completed another milestone in constructing the new 'Hinkley C' nuclear power plant near Bridgwater. The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire opens today with helicopters built in Yeovil on display. A road leading to Chard reservoir, shut two months ago for strengthening work to a dam wall, has re-opened...and more
Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Ilminster residents are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset later this year...and more
A children’s play area in Ilminster has been closed on safety grounds after badger setts were found on the land. Somerset Council sold off £90m of property assets last year to help fight off bankruptcy. Crewkerne Community Hospital could be turned into a neighbourhood health centre...and more.
The fire service has blamed a discarded portable barbecue for starting a blaze at Ham Hill Country Park. A care home for people with autism and complex needs in Crewkerne has been rated 'good'. A seven-year-old Yeovil boy has set a new world record for completing the most number of consecutive sit-ups for his age group...and more
Somerset Council is warning motorists against scanning QR codes at its car parks payment meters. Chard Town Council is spending £10,000 on short-term youth provision over the summer months. Former Yeovil Town player Marcus Stewart says he wants to continue raising money towards finding a cure for motor neurone disease...and more.
A Yeovil woman has shared how she is still on the waiting list for a transplant, a year on. A Crewkerne community group saved two tonnes of food from landfill last month and gave it to residents in need. Yeovil Town have announced their fixture list for the 2025/26 season....and more.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat health alert for the South West. A former Cherry Farm in Chard has donated its netting and high-tensile wire to Somerset Aid for Ukraine. Somerset Council is moving forward with its next phase of plans for the county...and more.