Monday 7th April

Monday, 7 April 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

There’s been a setback in building a new multi-million-pound electric car battery factory in Somerset. A new bus service has started running between Yeovil and Bristol. A new project has been launched to support people living with dementia in Somerset. Wetherspoon's in Yeovil reopens to customers tomorrow following a £1.6 million refurbishment...and more

A setback has been made in building a new multi-million-pound electric car battery factory in Somerset. Jaguar Land Rover, which is building the plant alongside the M5 at Puriton near Bridgwater, says that due to a slowdown in electric vehicle sales, the factory will now be built smaller than was originally planned. The opening date for production to start has been delayed by a year to 2027.

A new bus service has started running from Yeovil to Bristol. The 376 service stops in Street and runs to Bristol daily.

Wetherspoon's in Yeovil reopens to customers tomorrow following a £1.6 million refurbishment. The William Dampier pub, on the corner of Central Street and Middle Street, has been closed since January. Weatherspoon's says the upgrade, including a new beer garden, has created 35 full and part-time jobs.

Somerset Council has closed the public toilets opposite Tesco in Ilminster. The Council shut the toilets last week, saying they could no longer afford to keep them open. Ilminster Town Council has been asked to take over running the toilets and is due to discuss the issue at a meeting on April 15th.

The Managing Director of Leonardo in Yeovil, Nigel Coleman, says this is a good time to be in the defence sector. It comes after the company was awarded a £165m contract to service and repair Merlin Helicopters.

A new project has been launched to support people living with dementia in Somerset. Run by Froglife, it aims to get people with memory loss outdoors and be more active.

Four boys at Hazelgrove School at Sparkford are planning a cycling marathon in aid of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Hambo Kane, Ed Hyland, Freddie Storey and Louis Plunkett, all aged under 12, plan to cycle the 125 miles from Cardinham in Cornwall to Sparkford over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

More from News

Thursday 17th April

The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Wednesday 16th April

Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
Tuesday 15th April

A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more
Friday 11th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man riding an e-bike was injured and later died in hospital. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the number of false alarm calls it receives is on the increase. A new micro-pub opens in Chard next week...and more
Thursday 10th April

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for more targeted support for schools in Somerset. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident near Wells in which a cyclist died. Plans have been approved to convert a former care home in Yeovil into a house of multiple occupation...and more
Wednesday 9th April

A man from Yeovil has been jailed for stabbing another man in a pub in the town. Work is underway to help minimize the flood risk at Chard Reservoir. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-six new homes at Sparkford. A new Town Crier is needed in Glastonbury...and more
Tuesday 8th April

Work is underway to demolish the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with drink driving for a third time. Somerset Council has paid £35,000 in compensation for failing to deliver the right support to children with special educational needs. Another shop in Yeovil town centre is closing for good today...and more