Monday 24th March

Monday, 24 March 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Numatic International Ltd in Chard has been given planning permission to build a giant solar farm off the A30 Crewkerne Road. The RSPCA says incidents of dropped litter impacting the lives of animals in Somerset is a growing problem. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is marking 25 years of saving lives across the two counties...and more

Numatic International Ltd in Chard, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, has been given planning permission to build a giant solar farm off the A30 Crewkerne Road. The solar farm, situated across two fields east of Nursery Gardens, will provide clean energy to all of Numatic’s buildings, including a new warehouse, under construction on the former Oscar Mayer site in Chard. Work building the new solar farm is expected to begin later this year.

The RSPCA says incidents of dropped litter impacting the lives of animals in Somerset is a growing problem. The charity says that last year it dealt with 54 incidents of animals, including hedgehogs, swans and deer ingesting litter or becoming entangled in litter. The RSPCA says drink cans, plastic items and disposable vapes are some of the items that pose the greatest danger to wildlife.

Thousands of new homes could soon be built in Somerset after a change of legal advice involving mitigating the release of phosphates. Somerset Council says upgrades to Wessex Water's water treatment plants have already extracted the amount of phosphate necessary to enable 12,000 homes in Somerset,
caught up in the phosphate planning backlog, to be built.

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is marking 25 years of saving lives across the two counties. The service, launched in March 2000, operates using one helicopter from Henstridge airfield.

Police are seeking witnesses to an assault in Chard in which a man was hit over the head with a bottle. It happened as the man was walking through Stringfellow Park and was attacked by three men at around 11:30 pm on Tuesday, March 4th. Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them. If you can help, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

The M5 in Somerset will close in both directions on four nights this week for re-surfacing work. From today until Thursday, the M5 will shut between Junction 26 at Wellington and Junction 28 at Cullompton from 9 pm to 6 pm. A diversion will operate via the A38 and B3181.

More from News

Friday 4th April

Yeovil Town's Interim Chairman, Stuart Robins, says the Club needs to find a new owner to provide financial stability over the longer term. Six people, including two from Chard, have been jailed for their involvement in a drugs supply network. Final preparations are being made for this weekend’s Ilminster 10k race...and more
Thursday 3rd April

Two-thirds of employers in Somerset say the hike in employers' National Insurance will mean cutting staff. Police are investigating incidents of repeated damage at Somerton recreation ground. A man has been arrested in Chard on suspicion of indecent exposure. The story of the Monmouth Rebellion is being told in a new exhibition...and more
Wednesday 2nd April

Leonardo Helicopters has won a £165 million repair and maintenance contract that will secure 200 jobs at the Yeovil factory. Police are searching for a thief who stole a safe containing £1500 in cash from a pub in Ilminster. Alzheimer's UK says the number of people with dementia in Somerset is massively under-recorded... and more.
Tuesday 1st April

Police are investigating the cause of a suspicious fire at the former Oscar Mayer site in Chard. Yeovil Town owner, Martin Hellier, has stepped down as club chairman. According to the website, Property Solvers, Martock has the slowest housing market in Somerset. A new Head Teacher has been appointed to run Sexeys School in Bruton...and more
Monday 31st March

Yeovil Town owner Martin Hellier has announced his intention to put the club up for sale. Somerset Chamber of Commerce says small businesses are bracing themselves for a challenging year. The Children's Hospice South West founder, Eddie Farwell, has died. Tintinhull Gardens near Yeovil have reopened for the new season...and more
Friday 28th March

First Bus has invested £12 million in buying 26 electric buses to run on routes in Somerset. Approval has been given to build 18 new homes in South Petherton. Somerset’s recycling sites, including Yeovil, will revert to their spring opening times next week. This year’s Somerset Drama Festival has been won by Ilminster Entertainments Society...and more.
Thursday 27th March

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor for not reforming business rates in her Spring Statement. Fifteen schools in Somerset are to be equipped with new facilities for children with special educational needs. A charity in Yeovil is appealing for donations of new underwear to give to people who are homeless...and more
Wednesday 26th March

The remains of a Roman settlement have been discovered near Langport. Chard Town Council has issued a formal apology over some of its recent conduct. Visitors to Ham Hill Country Park are being asked to tread carefully and keep pets on leads to protect breeding skylarks nesting at ground-level...and more