Local News Tuesday 16th February

Thursday, 18 February 2021 17:32

Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal crash. Citizens Advice in Somerset is calling on the government to better regulate broadband companies. A Sherborne man has been charged with an alleged offence related to the Hunting Act and Yeovil College is celebrating the work of 50 of its apprentices as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal crash between a car and a lorry on the A303 Ilminster by-pass at the weekend. The collision happened close to the South Petherton roundabout at around 5:30 pm on Sunday. The driver of the car, a 24-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone who can help is asked to call 101.

Citizens Advice in Somerset is calling on the government to better regulate broadband companies, in a bid to make it more affordable and more accessible to people in rural areas. The charity is arguing that it is an essential utility that people need for not just home schooling and shopping but also to claim benefits and apply for jobs.

A woman whose body was found in a lake at Yeovil Country Park has been named as Jean Osborne, aged 78, of Rivers Road, Yeovil. An inquest has been opened and adjourned into her death. The inquest was told that the cause of death remains unclear but they are no suspicious circumstances and general enquiries by the police are on going. The inquest is scheduled to resume in May.

More than 1,000 homes are standing empty in South Somerset, according to latest figures. 133 of the properties have been empty for between two and five years and 62 empty for more than five years. South Somerset District Council is taking the opportunity of ‘Empty Homes Week’ to raise awareness of the support it provides to owners to bring empty properties back into use.

A Sherborne man has been charged with an alleged offence related to the Hunting Act following an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police. Mark Hankinson is due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on March 4th charged with intentionally encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act 2004. (Story courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).

Yeovil College is celebrating the work of 50 of its apprentices as part of National Apprenticeship Week. Each student has been given a National Apprenticeship Week Award including 39 health and social care apprentices who’ve been working on the front line during the pandemic at Yeovil Hospital.

More from News

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.
Thursday 27th February

Fourteen hundred people have added their names to a petition against Somerset Council's plans to scrap free car parks. St Margaret’s Hospice has won a share of £25 million of government funding. A man from Charlton Adam is preparing to visit Ukraine as an Aid Worker for a tenth time...and more
Wednesday 26th February

A local man has been charged with possessing an air weapon following an incident in Yeovil town centre. The Labour government has removed funding to the Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet that the previous Conservative government had allocated. Entries are now open for this year’s Minster Miles 10K fun run with organisers aiming to exceed last year’s number of runners...and more.