Local News Thursday 20th October

Thursday, 20 October 2022 06:00

One of the companies that supplies gas to homes and businesses in Somerset is asking customers not to tamper with their gas and electricity meters. Police are appealing for help in finding a man who's gone missing from Yeovil and who needs urgent medical treatment. New data has shown that nearly a quarter of inquests held in Somerset last year have been delayed for more than two years. Police are investigating a break-in at the Co-op store in Ilminster. Yeovil Literary Festival gets underway today...and more.

One of the companies that supplies gas to homes and businesses in Somerset is asking customers not to tamper with their gas and electricity meters. Wales and West Utilities says there’s been a sharp rise in reports of meter interference and that by doing so people are putting themselves at risk.

Police are appealing for help in finding a man who's gone missing from Yeovil and who needs urgent medical treatment. 50-year-old Alan was last seen on Watercombe Lane off Preston Road on Monday afternoon. He has tattoos on his arms and hands and was wearing a plain black baseball cap, a black jacket, black jeans, a white t-shirt and black trainers. Anyone who sees Alan is asked to call 999.

New data has shown that nearly a quarter of inquests held in Somerset last year have been delayed for more than two years. The government says the pandemic placed immense pressure on coroners’ courts and that a raft of measures to help clear the backlogs has been introduced.

Police are investigating a break-in at the Co-op store in Ilminster. Police say it happened in the early hours of last Saturday, October 15th when a quantity of cigarettes was stolen. CCTV footage of a man police would like to identify can be viewed on the Avon and Somerset Police website.

Yeovil Literary Festival gets underway today. The 2022 event marks the tenth year of the festival and features no less than 54 different writers and celebrities, many of whom are household names. Events are being staged at the Octogan theatre, the Westland Entertainment venue, and Yeovil Library, over the next five days.

A Crewkerne woman has been recognised for her work helping children with special educational needs and disabilities. Pearl Barnes who has worked as a SEND Leader for 24 yrs was presented with her certificate at the National Association for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities annual gathering in Birmingham.

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