Building a new multi-million-pound police centre in Yeovil has been put on pause. The peat industry in Somerset is facing pressure because of a new law that comes into force in two years. South Somerset District Council has been explaining why people in Chard think the famous Stringfellow monument in the town centre has been wrongly reinstated and Avon and Somerset police are warning of a scam in which fraudsters trick people into sending money to someone they say is a family member in distress.
Building a new multi-million-pound police centre in Yeovil has been put on pause. Plans to redevelop the current Horsey Lane station with a new police centre have been in the pipeline since 2018. However, it now appears the plans could be scrapped with the Avon and Somerset police re-considering their requirements for policing across South Somerset. They say a firm decision will be made by no later than the Spring of next year.
The peat industry in Somerset is facing pressure because of a new law that comes into force in two years, banning the sale of peat at garden centres. The move’s designed to reduce the release of carbon emissions, with Somerset having the largest peat industry in the UK.
South Somerset District Council has been explaining why people in Chard think the famous Stringfellow monument in the town centre has been wrongly reinstated. The structure was taken down as part of street improvements on Fore Street and recently returned to its original location. But locals believe it’s been repositioned facing in a different direction. The Council says the only change has been placing a plaque on the side of the monument in a different position which has given the impression that the structure is facing in a different direction when, in fact, it’s facing in the same direction it always has faced.
Avon and Somerset police are warning of a scam in which fraudsters trick people into sending money to someone they say is a family member in distress. The messages usually come through a text or WhatsApp message. More than 180 reports of the scam have been reported to the local police so far this year.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more
A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more
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