Wednesday 25th October

    New figures have shown a significant rise in cases of theft and shoplifting in Somerset. A further one hundred and fifty thousand pounds worth of grant funding has been awarded to charities and projects in Somerset. A Yeovil-based financial expert is offering help to people who may be missing out on a full state pension due to an error in their national insurance records. Yeovil Town increased their lead to four points at the top of National League South by beating Weymouth 2-0 at Huish Park last night...and more.

    New figures have shown a significant rise in cases of theft and shoplifting in Somerset. A total of 9,763 incidents of theft were recorded by June 2023, compared to 8,911 by June the previous year. The rise represents an increase in theft cases of 9.6%. Despite this, the total number of crimes committed in Somerset was slightly down from 41,131 by June 2022 to 39,557 in June of this year. 

    A Yeovil-based financial expert is offering help to people who may be missing out on a full state pension due to an error in their national insurance records. HMRC is writing to people, who are mostly women, who took time off work to care for family between 1978 and 2010, as they may not have been credited with what's known as 'home responsibilities protection'. Stephanie Dyke of Blue Fox Wealth in Yeovil says some claimants could be entitled to a back payment of up to £5,000.

    A further one hundred and fifty thousand pounds worth of grant funding has been awarded to charities and projects in Somerset to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis this winter. In the last year, over half a million pounds has been raised by local authorities and companies through the Somerset Community Foundation. 

    A Somerset woman whose teenage daughter died suddenly in 2017 says retraining as a counsellor has helped her rediscover meaning in her life. Tanya Russell says she "fell apart" five years after seventeen-year-old Johdi suffered Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. After completing a university course earlier this year, Tanya says it's never too late to change careers.

    The parents of a man who needed a heart transplant have fitted a defibrillator in Chard in memory of the donor who gave their son "his life back". Revd Len and Jacquie Schofield’s son, Barry, was left with diabetes and heart failure following having had Covid. In September 2022, a match was found and his heart transplant operation went ahead a few weeks later. Barry’s parents say they’re so thankful to the family of a young man for giving their son his life back and have installed the defibrillator at Bishops Court in Chard in his memory.

    Somerset Council has signed a new eight-year contract with Kier Transportation Ltd to deliver maintenance services across its road network. The £225 million agreement covers road repairs, drainage, verge cutting, and winter services, such as gritting.

    Yeovil Town increased their lead to 4 points at the top of National League South beating Weymouth 2-0 at Huish Park last night. The crowd of 6,289 was Yeovil’s biggest at home of the season so far. 

    More from News

    • Monday 10th February

      A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more

    • Friday 7th February 

      A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more

    • Thursday 6th February

      A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.

    • Wednesday 5th February

      The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.

    • Tuesday 4th February 

      Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.

    • Monday 3rd February

      Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.

    • Friday 31st January

      A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more

    • Thursday 30th January

      Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more

    Today's Weather

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