Thursday 22nd August

    Plans to regenerate Yeovil’s former cattle market have been cancelled. Two suspected cases of Mpox have been reported in Somerset. An 11-year-old Somerset boy has won two gold medals at the British Transplant Games. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced the return of its 100 Miles Challenge...and more.

    Plans to regenerate Yeovil’s former cattle market have been cancelled. The upgrade of the site off Reckleford was part of the Yeovil Refresh project to which the previous Conservative government had given £9.75 million. Under the new Labour administration, funding to Yeovil Refresh has been cut to under £4.9 million. Somerset Council says none of the money will be spent on regenerating the cattle market but instead on buying the empty Glovers Walk shopping precinct and demolishing it, creating 18 flats within the former Porter Blacks building at 66, Middle Street, demolishing the building at 96, Middle Street, next to the 94 Club, replacing it with a ground floor commercial outlet including nine flats, and demolishing the existing buildings at Grimsby Corner at the end of Wyndham Street and replacing with a block of 48 flats. Meanwhile, plans to upgrade the A358 between the Southfields roundabout at Ilminster and the M5 at Taunton have been officially ‘put on hold’. National Highways says the scheme is being ‘paused’ as part of a review of all major transport schemes. It follows the cancellation of the £1.7 billion Stonehenge tunnel project, announced last month.

    Two suspected cases of Mpox have been reported in Somerset, one in the Taunton area. The World Health Organisation declared an international emergency after the disease spread across Europe from the African Republic of Congo. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It causes flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, and a skin rash that can last two to four weeks. The WHO say of all 116 suspected Mpox cases in the UK, none are of the most serious strain.

    An 11-year-old Somerset boy has won two gold medals in the swimming at the British Transplant Games. Six years ago, Jayden received a new heart. The boy had his life-saving operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital and competed for their team at the Transplant Games. 

    A Somerset insect expert says while there have not been a lot of bugs around this summer, that could soon change. Entemologist, Dee Patel, says a combination of rainfall and heat has meant more ants, wasps, mosquitoes and slugs are starting to surface.

    Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced the return of its 100 Miles Challenge. The event, now in its second year, invites participants to support the life-saving service by 'moving' 100 miles throughout October. Whether walking, running, cycling or swimming, everyone is welcome to take part, covering the 100 miles in their own time. Last year’s challenge raised £21,829.00.

    More from News

    • Wednesday 27th November

      NHS Somerset says one hundred thousand people in the county have yet to receive the latest Covid booster jab. The road between Merriot and Lopen at Eggwood Hill remains closed following a landslip. Guests at a B&B in Cornwall can now book an overnight stay in a Lynx helicopter...and more.

    • Tuesday 26th November

      A Somerset councillor has criticised government plans to relax the planning laws. A new group has been formed in Somerset aimed at cutting the number of motorcycle thefts. A retired Royal Naval Reserve Officer in Somerset has set a new Guinness World Record...and more.

    • Monday 25th November

      Yeovil's Octagon Theatre is to get a £10 million grant. Flood warnings remain in force today. The Conservatives have won a by-election to fill a vacancy on Somerset Council. A fraud investigation has been launched into a defence firm...and more.

    • Friday 22nd November

      Somerset Council has provided rough sleepers with emergency accommodation due to the extreme cold weather of the past few days. Three men from Somerset, charged in connection with a series of burglaries, are due in court today. The Christmas lights get turned on in Ilminster tonight...and more

    • Thursday 21st November

      Bus campaigners are warning that government funding to improve Somerset’s bus network could be lost if Somerset Council goes bankrupt. GPs in Somerset are calling on the government to protect them from planned National Insurance tax rises for employers. Luxury handbag maker, Mulberry, is cutting dozens of jobs, including here in our locality...and more

    • Wednesday 20th November

      Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says he’ll vote in favour of the Assisted Dying Bill when it comes before Parliament later this month. Manor Court Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘good’ following an OFSTED inspection. Forty-nine new homes are to be built at Broadway Hill in Horton, near Ilminster, following a successful planning appeal...and more

    • Tuesday 19th November

      Somerset Council is investigating the source of a raw sewage leak at Limington, near Ilchester. Somerset has been given £7 million to improve local bus services. Chard Road Runners have donated three hundred rolls of wrapping paper to the Chard Christmas Present Appeal...and more

    • Monday 18th November

      Nightspots in Yeovil are participating in a new initiative aimed at reducing crime and making people feel safer. A drop-in session is taking place in Chard this week for local people to ask questions about a new £2 million flood prevention scheme. The A303 eastbound between Ilchester and Podimore will be closed from 8 pm tonight until 6 am tomorrow...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 7°C | Low: -2°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 6°C | Low: -1°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 6°C | Low: -1°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 7°C | Low: -2°C

    • Wincanton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 8°C | Low: -2°C

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