Monday 6th January

Monday, 6 January 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are treating, as deliberate, a fire at the former Oscar Mayer factory in Chard. The owner of an American diner says her takings are down 75 percent since the opening of the new dual carriageway between Sparkford and Ilchester. Yeovil-born England women’s rugby union team captain, Marlie Packer, says she’d like to captain the national side at this year's World Cup series...and more.

Police are treating as deliberate a fire at the former Oscar Mayer factory in Chard. Crews from Chard and Ilminster dealt with the blaze on Furnham Road that broke out at lunchtime last Thursday. Anyone with information that might help the police is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

The owner of an American diner says her takings are down 75 percent since the opening of the new dual carriageway between Sparkford and Ilchester. National Highways has promised to install new advertising boards on the A303 for Mattia Diner but the signs are not yet in place.

Plans for a new housing development in Yeovil originally turned down over concerns about traffic congestion and flooding, will now go ahead. Somerset Council has drooped its objections and agreed to the development of sixty new homes on land between Brimsmore Garden Centre and Yeovil Gospel Hall on Tintinhull Road.

Supporters of trail hunting in Somerset have criticised the Labour government for planning to ban the sport. Trail hunting was introduced as a more humane alternative to fox hunting. Labour claims it’s a smokescreen for illegal hunting but Ollie Hughes from the British Hound Sports Association says they see no reason to ban the sport.

Yeovil-born England’s women’s rugby union team captain, Marlie Packer, has been speaking about her hopes for 2025. Marlie, a former pupil at Bucklers Mead School in Yeovil, says she’d like to captain the national side at this year's World Cup series being played in the UK.

Somerset Ramblers Association has welcomed the decision to extend the deadline for registering public footpaths and rights of way. People now have until 2031 to have a public footpath and right of way, currently not registered, or mapped, protecting them from being built over.

More from News

Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more