Local News Thursday 10th March

Thursday, 10 March 2022 06:00

Chard residents against quarry expansion.

People in South Chard have started a petition to stop the expansion of a local quarry. Police are searching for a teenage girl who’s gone missing from her home in Somerton. A home for unwanted cats and dogs in Somerset is warning of a rise in pets being brought to them as strays. A Langport man has been jailed for six years for sexual offences committed against three boys in Yeovil in the 1980s...and more.

People in South Chard have started a petition to stop the expansion of a local quarry. Aggregate Industries UK operates Chard Junction Quarry near Tatworth and has applied to extract an extra 830,000 tonnes of sand and gravel over seven years. Local residents claim the expansion will create more noise and pollution and increase lorry journeys in the area.

Police are searching for a teenage girl who’s gone missing from her home in Somerton. Jayden, who’s 15 was last seen by her family on Sunday. She’s described as 5ft 8in, of slim build with long black hair. Police believe she may have caught a train to London at Yeovil Junction station on Sunday. If you can help, please call the police non-emergency number 101.

A home for unwanted cats and dogs in Somerset is warning of a rise in pets being brought to them as strays. The organisation says as well as animals being lost or running away, owners are struggling to meet the rising costs of caring for their animals and decide to abandon them instead.

A Langport man has been jailed for six years for sexual offences committed against three boys in Yeovil in the 1980s. David Byrne was convicted of six counts of indecent assault following a trial. Byrne was previously jailed for six years in 2018 after being convicted of four counts of indecent assault.

If you live in the Chard area and have items to donate to Ukriane you’re asked to take them to the Polish Shop, in Howard Row, off Fore Street, in Chard. People in Ilminster with items to donate should take them to house number 25, Donyatt Hill in Donyatt. Tesco in Chard has also set up a collection box for donated items for Ukraine.

A popular Somerset pub has been put up for sale. The Bull Inn at Ilchester, which has a skittle alley and three-bedroom owner's flat, is advertised at £475,000.

More from News

Monday 10th February

A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more
Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
Wednesday 5th February

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.
Tuesday 4th February

Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.
Monday 3rd February

Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.
Friday 31st January

A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more
Thursday 30th January

Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more