Wednesday 29th January

Wednesday, 29 January 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more

New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. At the moment, women are offered a test 12 weeks after childbirth. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust says if testing at six weeks proves accurate, it could save lives.

Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. Wayne Shortland, aged 41, is described as white, 6 feet tall, of medium/slim build. with brown eyes, and short greying hair. He has a scar on his left hand. Police say Shortland should not be approached and that if you know of his whereabouts, to call 999.

The government has given half a million pounds towards planting trees in Somerset. The funding has been secured through the Urban Tree Challenge and will be spent planting 700 mature trees, including 100 in Yeovil at Oak Tree Park, Yew Tree Park, and Milford Park.

Work has started building a new outside seating area at the rear of the William Dampier pub in Lower Middle Street in Yeovil. The William Dampier, run by JD Wetherspoons, is currently closed and is due to re-open on Tuesday, April 8th.

Police have released images of a man they want to speak with in connection with a burglary near Ilminster. Jewellery was taken in the break-in at a house on Peasmarsh Farm Lane in Peasmarsh on Boxing Day. Photos of the man can be viewed on the Avon and Somerset Police website. If you recognise the man or, have any information that could help the police, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

We’re being asked to get outside and start counting different species in our gardens, parks and from our windows. It’s to contribute to the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, which is the biggest public wildlife survey held in the UK.

Moolham Lane in Ilminster from the junction with Greenway to the junction with Kitchill Lane North will be closed to traffic on Friday. It’s to allow for Openreach to carry out pole testing works.

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.