Tuesday 24th December

Tuesday, 24 December 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. A school in Chard has been named the best-run primary school in Somerset. Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303...and more

Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. Martin Carty and Mark Sothcott killed Frank Ingram at his flat in Raglan Terrace in June. Following a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury unanimously found both men guilty of murder. Carty of Raglan Terrace and Sothcott of Stiby Road in Yeovil, both aged 56, were remanded in custody for sentencing. (Story and photo courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).

A school in Chard has been named as the best-run primary school in Somerset. Combe St. Nicholas Church of England Primary School was singled out for having 100 per cent of pupils meet the expected standard at the end of Key Stage Two. In second place was Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil, with Preston Church of England Primary School in Yeovil, coming third. The schools were ranked on the basis of data provided by the Department for Education.

Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. She says pharmacies are closing at double the national average rate in her constituency. She wants the government to publish an independent analysis on reforming the sector early in the New Year.

A former RAF airman from Somerset, dismissed because of his sexuality, says an official apology has gone some way towards repairing the hurt he suffered. Mark Shephard was asked to leave the RAF in 1999 aged 21 due to a ban on LGBT people in the armed forces. The ban was lifted in the year 2000.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303. It happened on Saturday, December 21st at around 7 pm when a pedestrian collided with a grey Range Rover on the eastbound stretch between Cartgate and Podimore. The man was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries. If you saw the incident or have dashcam footage you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

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