Thursday 18th April

    A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.

    A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft. Appearing at Taunton Crown Court, Andrew Wilson was sentenced to four months imprisonment. At an earlier hearing, Wilson had admitted two counts of directing a laser beam at an aircraft, an offence under the Laser Misuse Act 2018. On the first occasion, he targeted a helicopter flying over Yeovil. The second incident involved an Airbus A320 passenger plane flying over Yeovil on its descent to Bristol Airport, with 200 people on board. The court was that Wilson had not only jeopardised the eyesight of several pilots but had recklessly endangered the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Story courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News.

    Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill, just outside Yeovil. It happened on Tuesday, April 16th at around 9 pm. Two men from Yeovil have since been arrested on suspicion of burglary offences.

    Nearly 400 people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council. The Council plans to cut around one thousand jobs in this financial year, up to a quarter of the workforce, in an attempt to save £40m. 372 members of staff had applied for voluntary redundancy when the deadline to apply expired at the end of March.

    Conservationists in Somerset have welcomed the news that a bill to ban the use of peat in gardening products has passed through the first stages in Parliament unopposed. The county has the largest peatlands in the South West and contributes a huge amount to the total UK output. 

    Staff from South Western Ambulance have been in London lobbying MPs as part of a campaign for fairer pay. On a visit to Parliament, Emergency Care Assistants, who work with paramedics as part of emergency ambulance crews, were asking for support for their campaign for higher pay, to better reflect their levels of training, and the important work they do.

    Former Somerset and England cricketer, Marcus Trescothick has been presented his OBE for services to mental health. Marcus currently works as a mental health ambassador with the Professional Cricketers' Association. In 2006, he had to leave an England overseas tour due to his struggles with depression and anxiety.

    More from News

    • Wednesday 24th December

      A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.

    • Tuesday 23rd December

      NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.

    • Monday 22nd December

      Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.

    • Friday 19th December

      Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.

    • Thursday 18th December

      Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more

    • Wednesday 17th December

      Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more

    • Tuesday 14th December

      New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.

    • Monday 15th December

      Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Sunny

      High: 5°C | Low: -4°C

    • Chard

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      High: 4°C | Low: -4°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny

      High: 4°C | Low: -4°C

    • Somerton

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      High: 5°C | Low: -3°C

    • Wincanton

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      High: 5°C | Low: -5°C

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