Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the 6-week-long school summer holiday is underway. Visit Somerset says increases in employer National Insurance rates are putting hospitality businesses and visitor attractions under even greater financial pressure.
Changes are being made to the route of the 51 bus in Yeovil. The 51 will now stop at Asda and Larkhill. A new 61 service is being introduced that will stop in Cavalier Way. First Bus says both the 51 and 61 will also make stops at Tesco and Hendford Lodge Medical Centre. The journey time on the 54 Yeovil to Taunton bus is being extended by 10 minutes to improve timekeeping.
A Chard woman who crashed into a parked car while driving a van without insurance that belonged to her employer has been banned from driving for 16 months. Appearing before local magistrates, Claire Hottinger of Pear Tree Drive in Chard, pleaded guilty to using a Ford Transit van without insurance and was made the subject of a 12-month community order.
A trophy cabinet has been broken into and cups stolen in a raid at a Somerset golf club. It happened at Mendip Golf Club near Shepton Mallet last Friday when thieves smashed a window in a fire door and stole several prestigious trophies. Anyone with information is asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.
Network Rail says trains on the Waterloo Exeter line will not stop at Crewkerne station from Monday until further notice. A replacement bus will run between Axminster and Yeovil Junction stations. Network Rail says they’ve had to cancel trains stopping at Crewkerne station due to hot weather impacting the clay-based embankments between Salisbury and Axminster.
A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says it’s seen a significant increase in the number of hedgehogs brought in this year. They say due to a lack of rain and hard ground conditions, hedgehogs are finding it difficult to source enough food..
The fire service says they still don’t know what caused Monday’s major shop fire in Yeovil. A safeguarding review is being carried out into the case of Daniel Gunter, who was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court last week of murdering his two-week-old baby son at Yeovil Hospital. National convenience store chain, Costcutter, has taken over the empty YMCA charity shop in Middle Street in Yeovil for a new store...and more
Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. Somerset Council says it's dealing with a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications. Ninety thousand pounds has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset...and more
A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
Somerset Community Foundation has launched a "Together for West Somerset Appeal" to help families affected by last Thursday's school coach crash on Exmoor. People in Somerset are being encouraged to improve their recycling of food waste. Free family cooking sessions are being held in Chard. A new children’s soft play area is soon to open in Yeovil...and more
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
Wednesday 30th July
Tuesday 29th July
Monday 28th July
Friday 25th July
Wednesday 23rd July
Tuesday 22nd July
Monday 21st July
Friday 18th July
