Local News Friday 26th November

Friday, 26 November 2021 06:00

A driver has been jailed for taking police on a 100 mph car chase through South Somerset. Independent retailers in Somerset are calling on shoppers to remember them on Black Friday today and support "Indie Friday" instead. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with assault and being the owner of a dangerous dog that was out of control. A man who handed a purse into Chard police station is being asked to contact the police. Yeovil’s open-air market in Middle Street tomorrow has been cancelled...and more

A driver has been jailed for taking police on a 100 mph car chase through South Somerset. Taunton Crown Court was told that Lee McGinty drove so fast that police saw his BMW leap two feet off the ground in Ilminster before escaping. Ten days later he led police on another high-speed pursuit driving along Reckleford in Yeovil at 90 mph then through Chilthorne Dormer before reaching a top speed of 100mph on the A37 at Ilchester where he crashed his car and was arrested. McGinty of Puddletown in Dorset was jailed for 3-years and disqualified from driving for three years.

Independent retailers in Somerset are calling on shoppers to remember them on Black Friday today and support "Indie Friday" instead. They say they can't afford to match the same discounts and promotions offered by most online businesses but still need people to buy from local shops.

A former employee at Westland Helicopters in Yeovil, now Leonardo, is trying to locate former colleagues he worked with in the 1970s after being diagnosed with the lung disease, mesothelioma, an incurable cancer that can be caused by exposure to asbestos. Ian Ebdon believes he might have contracted the disease while working at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil 40-years ago. Leonardo says they’re unable to comment as Mr. Ebdon has lodged a claim against the company.

A Chard man has appeared in court charged with assault and being the owner of a dangerous dog that was out of control. Wayne Brewer of Montague Way in Chard pleaded guilty to both offences at Taunton Magistrates Court and was fined £120 with £85 costs.

A man who handed a purse into Chard police station is being asked to contact the police. The black purse was dropped through the letterbox at Chard's Police Station at about 9 am on Friday, November 12th. Police want to talk to the man to find out where he found the purse. You can view a photo of the man on the Avon and Somerset Police website. If you can help, you’re asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

Yeovil’s open-air market in Middle Street tomorrow has been cancelled. Organisers say following a yellow weather issued by the Met Office, the market won’t be held for safety reasons.

More from News

Tuesday 11th March

The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been fully restored after becoming difficult to ring ... and more
Monday 10th March

A property in Raglan Terrace in Yeovil has been closed down by a court order after it was linked to anti-social behaviour. NHS Somerset says investing in nurse apprenticeships has helped to boost recruitment. A new community garden has opened in Chard.... and more
Friday 7th March

The Leader of Somerset Council has repeated his call for a reform of the way that councils are funded. Crimestoppers is stepping up efforts to help tackle violent crime in Somerset. A new radar satellite is playing a crucial role in collecting data about flooding in Somerset...and more
Thursday 6th March

Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more
Wednesday 5th March

Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. A Somerset charity says it needs more volunteers to help with research into new treatments for dementia. A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm...and more.
Tuesday 4th March

The population of Somerset has reached record levels with nearly one in ten born outside the UK. Stanchester School in Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been rated as ‘requiring improvement’. Experts have been called in to appraise a 15th-century piece of artwork in Sherborne...and more.
Monday 3rd March

A woman from Crewkerne has been fined £280 for assaulting two emergency workers. Plans have been announced to open new NHS dental surgeries in Chard and Crewkerne. A Yeovil man has been thanked for raising £10,000 for the cardiac charity Heartbeat...and more
Friday 28th February

A local man has been charged after allegedly driving a tractor while under the influence of alcohol. One hundred bikes, collected with household waste in Somerset, have been donated to charity. The junction of the A37 Ilchester Road and Stiby Road in Yeovil will again shut this evening for resurfacing...and more.