Tuesday 21st January

Tuesday, 21 January 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

A Yeovil man, who drove while on drugs, injuring two children, has been given a one-year suspended prison sentence. Somerset cider maker, Thatchers, has won a trademark battle against Aldi. Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre is looking for more land for its animals...and more.

A Yeovil man who drove while on drugs and injured two children has been sentenced. Bournemouth Crown Court was told that Stephen Farrant was driving a cement mixer on the A30 towards Sherborne when he contravened a red traffic signal and crashed into a car turning into Sheeplands Lane. The passengers, two children aged 10 and 11, sustained serious injuries. Farrant, who had pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving while over the legal drug limit at an earlier hearing, was given a twelve-month suspended prison sentence and disqualified from driving for three years.

A 10-year programme of work to dredge Somerset's rivers means nearby villages are less likely to flood, according to Somerset Rivers Authority. The organisation was set up in the aftermath of the 2014 floods that left communities on the Somerset Levels cut off for months.

Drivers face a diversion of 21 miles from tomorrow when a road on the Somerset Levels closes for repairs. The A361 along Fore Street and High Street in the village of Othery will be shut for 13 nights between January 22nd and February 8th. It’s to allow for the A361 through Othery to be resurfaced. During the closure, traffic will be diverted through Bridgwater and along the M5 corridor.

Somerset cider maker, Thatchers, has won a long-running trademark battle in the Court of Appeal against Aldi over the labelling of a lemon cider drink.

A Somerset wildlife charity is looking for more land to home its animals. Secret World Wildlife Rescue rehabilitates injured animals before releasing them back into the wild.

Yeovil Recycling Centre will be closed on Friday, January 31st. It’s for resurfacing work to take place. If you’re planning a visit to the Yeovil Recycling Centre on Friday, January 31st, you’re asked instead to take your items to the recycling sites in Chard and Somerton. The Yeovil site will re-open as normal on Saturday, February 1st.

More from News

Monday 3rd November

Plans have been approved to convert Old Viney Bridge Mill in Crewkerne to residential use. The go-ahead has been given to decommission Hinkley Point B nuclear power plant in Somerset. We’re being asked to provide food for hedgehogs that come into our gardens this winter...and more.
Friday 31st October

There's anger in Chard about a road diversion in place alongside two sets of roadworks through the town. A motorcyclist has been injured in an accident in Bruton. £100,000 has been donated towards re-opening Shepton Mallet’s Amulet theatre...and more
Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been detected at a nature reserve in Somerset, resulting in the closure of part of it. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain...and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more