RESIDENTS from Burlescombe say they are living in hell due to lorries travelling through the village from a nearby quarry. Lorries travelling out of Bardon Aggregates-owned Westleigh Quarry go through Burlescombe to get on to the main roads, but residents
A GROUP of firemen from Wiveliscombe are back home resting after climbing Britain's three highest mountains in just 48 hours. The six men climbed over 11,000ft last weekend as they completed the Three Peaks challenge of Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell
POLICE say they are closing in on a woman who is alleged to have fraudulently taken £50,000 from a Wellington bank. The news comes after an appeal was put out by police on the BBC's Crimewatch programme last Wednesday evening. The woman is believed to
WELLINGTON Junior School performed to sell-out crowds last week, with their latest show When Toad Came Home. There were four performances of the Kenneth Graeme play, with all 120 Key Stage Two children taking part. Hal Norton skilfully portrayed Toad,
YEOVIL Town kick-off the 2005-06 season in the Coca-Cola League One on August 6 with an away fixture at Oldham. Yeovil's first home game of the campaign is on August 9 when they face Rotherham at Huish Park. Other fixtures in August are Blackpool (home
YEOVIL Town manager Gary Johnson confirmed last night (Wednesday) that he would be staying at Huish Park. Johnson phoned Express chief reporter Steve Sowden just after 9pm to say that he had ruled himself out of the vacant Derby County job. The news will
MINEHEAD officially began pre-season training on Tuesday. New player-manager Steve Perkins has held sessions since the end of the season, mainly involving youngsters, and is pleased with the way things are progressing. "We had over 20 there on Tuesday
JUST in case anyone had missed the news that the Somerset County Gazette is coming out on Thursdays from today, staff were out in force in Taunton town centre last Saturday to get the message across. Dee Kmita, of our promotions department, newspaper
RUNNERS are limbering up for the annual Beacon to Beach fun run next month. The gruelling seven-mile run sees entrants running down Selworthy Beacon and North Hill to Minehead beach, then along the sea front and across the marshes to raise cash for charities
COUNTY bosses have moved quickly to scotch rumours that plans are at an advanced stage to clinch the sale of a key Minehead development site to B&Q. Fears grew after it was revealed that Somerset County Council, which owns the site next to Minehead
WHEN baby Iona Leaf dropped her mum Jessica's house keys down a Minehead drain, a special road team mounted an emergency rescue operation to get them back on Monday. As 13-month-old Iona smiled and gurgled, Jessica, of Summerland Avenue, Minehead, told
WORK is under way to restore one of Exmoor's best-loved landmark churches to its white painted picture postcard splendour. Scaffolding has been erected on All Saints Church, Selworthy, and work has started on the mammoth task of lime washing the distinctive
CROWCOMBE'S gem of a parish church was full of flowers last weekend after village volunteers spent hours with toothbrushes and elbow grease cleaning its priceless medieval carvings. Now, parishioners at the Church of the Holy Ghost are embarking on an
DEMAND for affordable housing is now out-stripping supply in the Bridgwater area as people look for alternative ways to get on to the housing ladder. Many people are getting priced out of the market, as now even an income of £30,000 is no longer enough
THE chief executive of Somerset Care has told residents that the group will work with them over plans to redevelop one of Yeovil's oldest residential homes. The Express revealed back in April that Somerset Care had unveiled proposals to demolish the Grovelands
POLICE are appealing for information after three bikes were stolen from a garage in Earle Street in Yeovil. The theft happened between 12.30am and 7.30am on June 12. The bikes stolen are a purple adults Magna Blade with about 18 gears, a child's black
TAUNTON Deane residents unable to travel to Edinburgh to lobby the G8 leaders at Gleneagles can join a demonstration in Taunton the same day. Campaigners wanting to 'help make poverty history' should be at the front of the Market House in the town centre
JUST in case anyone had missed the news that the Somerset County Gazette is coming out on Thursdays from today, staff were out in force in Taunton town centre last Saturday to get the message across. Dee Kmita, of our promotions department, newspaper
MOTORISTS in Taunton have received an apology -- for being able to park free this week. Ten pay and display parking meters in the town centre have been on the blink. But drivers taking advantage of the temporary problem have been warned it will soon be
WITH talent, drive and two albums behind him Queen's College student Toby Williams is hitting all the right notes on the road to musical success. At only 14 Toby is no stranger to hard work after gaining a top scholarship place at the Taunton school for
A NEW report which claims towns near to nuclear power stations have no higher cancer rates than anywhere else has been slammed and dubbed a "whitewash" by people living in the shadow of Somerset's Hinkley Point. See this week's Weekly News for a full
SEDGEMOOR District Council is investigating Burnham Holiday Village after angry residents claimed the camp was expanding its caravan site without planning permission. The Marine Drive resort began increasing the size of its caravan site last year by building
I AGREE with D. Westlake (Postbag) about drivers being unaware of the Highway Code. Judging by today's driving standards we need to go a step further and force people to re-take their test every two years. If drivers can't behave in a responsible, courteous
IN this age of caring for the environment and using our resources responsively I would like to think my fianc and I are doing the 'right' thing by cycling to work most days along the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal. However, we have both noticed in the
TAUNTON Town manager Peter Beadle believes Antony Lynch will remain at Wordsworth Drive next season. The future of Lynch, the Peacocks' top scorer last season, had become uncertain after interest from Western League champions Bideford. But Beadle believes
TAUNTON Deane are the 2005 Baker Cup winners after defeating holders Ilminster by 16 runs in Monday's final at the County Ground. Man-of-the-match Jon Hudd batted all 20 overs for an excellent 77 not out from 62 balls to guide the Deane to a total of
THE new rubbish collection system being trialled in Rockwell Green, Wellington, has been hailed a success by the residents. Sort IT, which involves people sorting their rubbish into three separate bins for collection, has been on trial for a month now
AN exclusion zone has been set around Smeatharpe airfield to stop illegal raves during the Glastonbury Festival, which begins tomorrow. The zone, covering a five-mile radius around the Blackdown Hills and East Devon, has been set up under police powers
BANDS from across the area are lining up to battle it out to win a session in a recording studio. The Wivey X Factor is being held at the town's rugby club next month, with the contest running throughout the afternoon and evening of Saturday, July 2.
RESIDENTS in the Blackdown Hills are being urged to take part in a new daytime TV programme about people changing their lives. The Channel 4 series, Life Begins, will look at the events in the lives of 30 people as they change their life dramatically,
A NEW incident response vehicle, worth £500,000, has been delivered to Wellington Fire Brigade. The truck is designed to minimise the effects of a chemical accident or terrorist attack and has been paid for by the Government. The 26-tonne vehicle contains
A grieving mother has hit out at people who "spread rumours" when she and her partner were arrested after the sudden death of their only child. A police investigation has found no reason to suspect Marcella Sweeney and Richard Hill of any wrongdoing in
Burlescombe residents say they are living in hell due to lorries travelling through the village from a quarry nearby. They say since planning permission was granted for waste disposal at the quarry last year, lorries have been coming through their village
JUST in case anyone had missed the news that the Somerset County Gazette is coming out on Thursdays from today, staff were out in force in Taunton town centre last Saturday to get the message across. Dee Kmita, of our promotions department, newspaper
WELLINGTON Junior School performed to sell-out crowds last week, with their latest show When Toad Came Home. There were four performances of the Kenneth Graeme play, with all 120 Key Stage Two children taking part. Hal Norton skilfully portrayed Toad,
WATCHET Town have called a players' meeting for Sunday to determine where the club are headed. The County League Division One outfit want to return to the Premier but are concerned they are becoming a feeder club for other sides. "The meeting was prompted
CARHAMPTON, who scored a record 430-3 in a league match earlier this month, experienced the other end of the spectrum last Friday as they were bowled out for just 19 by Winsford in the West Somerset Cup. Put into bat on a damp wicket, the full-strength
July 6 sees the publication of the Packet's Priceless Portraits supplement sponsored by Baby World. There will be sixteen pages of children's pictures with a chance for parents to win cash and voucher prizes. Priceless Portraits is a popular Packet supplement
A PUBLIC consultation exercise is being launched to give Exmoor people a say about future building in the national park. Four public meetings are being staged by Exmoor National Park Authority, which is drawing up design guidelines for new houses in the
ONE of Minehead's best-loved policemen retired this week. And one of his final duties as crime reduction and schools officer for West Somerset was to be 'sponged' by children at Minehead Middle School for school funds. PC Keith Wigglesworth, known almost
ANGRY shopkeepers in Watchet have hit back at suggestions that the town needs a lick of paint to spruce it up. They say new businesses which have opened in the town recently have already started to make a difference. The counter attack has come following
MINI bikers are concerning police in Minehead. The children, riding mini motorcycles, are riding around the town's streets without helmets or licences. Police have reminded parents the machines are classified as motor vehicles by law and must be taxed
WELLINGTON make the long journey to Bath this weekend to play Peasedown St John in Division One of the Shrubbery Hotel Somerset League. Rob Moysey's team gave title favourites Ilton a real run for their money last weekend but were unable to land the killer
Officials at Taunton's Somerset College of Arts and Technology have reassured learners that it will be "business as usual" next year after fears that somne courses would be axed. They say courses in all subject areas will be running in September. For
Police are still appealing for helping bringing four wanted men to book following 'Operation Relentless'. The four are still missing in Avon and Somerset Constabulary's major crackdown on fugitives from justice. For more details see this week's County
A grieving mother has hit out at people who "spread rumours" when she and her partner were arrested after the sudden death of their only child. A police investigation has found no reason to suspect Marcella Sweeney and Richard Hill of any wrongdoing in
COUNTY bosses have moved quickly to scotch rumours that plans are at an advanced stage to clinch the sale of a key Minehead development site to B&Q. Fears grew after it was revealed that Somerset County Council, which owns the site next to Minehead
THE new rubbish collection system being trialled in Rockwell Green, Wellington, has been hailed a success by the residents. Sort IT, which involves people sorting their rubbish into three separate bins for collection, has been on trial for a month now
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy found wandering in Monkton Heathfield last Saturday afternoon may have cycled across the M5 to get there. Store owner Ray Tully told police after the youngster walked into his shop and then wandered around in the street outside. Officers
WITH talent, drive and two albums behind him Queen's College student Toby Williams is hitting all the right notes on the road to musical success. At only 14 Toby is no stranger to hard work after gaining a top scholarship place at the Taunton school for
JUST in case anyone had missed the news that the Somerset County Gazette is coming out on Thursdays from today, staff were out in force in Taunton town centre last Saturday to get the message across. Dee Kmita, of our promotions department, newspaper
TAUNTON Deane residents unable to travel to Edinburgh to lobby the G8 leaders at Gleneagles can join a demonstration in Taunton the same day. Campaigners wanting to 'help make poverty history' should be at the front of the Market House in the town centre
WITH talent, drive and two albums behind him Queen's College student Toby Williams is hitting all the right notes on the road to musical success. At only 14 Toby is no stranger to hard work after gaining a top scholarship place at the Taunton school for
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy found wandering in Monkton Heathfield last Saturday afternoon may have cycled across the M5 to get there. Store owner Ray Tully told police after the youngster walked into his shop and then wandered around in the street outside. Officers
POLICE in Taunton are appealing for witnesses after a woman was assaulted. The attack is said to have taken place at 1.15am on Sunday, June 12, outside the Perfect Pizza take-away in East Reach when she was allegedly assaulted by a man. She suffered extensive
Police are still appealing for helping bringing four wanted men to book following 'Operation Relentless'. The four are still missing in Avon and Somerset Constabulary's major crackdown on fugitives from justice. For more details see this week's County
A grieving mother has hit out at people who "spread rumours" when she and her partner were arrested after the sudden death of their only child. A police investigation has found no reason to suspect Marcella Sweeney and Richard Hill of any wrongdoing in
THE father of Highbridge Paralympic hero Anthony Stephens is appealing for help with a mercy mission to take aid to parts of Asia which have not yet received any support in the wake of the Boxing Day tsunami. See this week's Weekly News for a full report
A MULTI-national mobile phone company has been criticised by local residents who claim it has ignored planning rules and their concerns by building a new phone mast on Burnham's BASC ground. See this week's Weekly News for a full report.
IT has been brought to my attention that an unknown source has started a rumour that all independent taxi drivers working off the rank are charging time and a half throughout the day. This information is incorrect. We charge single time up to 10pm on
IT was a memorable day at the County Ground last Wednesday when Somerset, against all odds, beat the kings of world cricket, the Australians, by four wickets. It will be remembered for years to come by those privileged enough to be there and must surely
WE had to laugh when we read about Hugh Duder's one-man protest about the Continental market in the Somerset County Gazette. Perhaps he should ask himself where the majority of his stock comes from. It's not all local, is it Hugh? Maybe he should adopt
BRIAN Rose, Somerset's new director of cricket, wasted no time in making his presence felt at the club, this week announcing the termination of Nixon McLean's contract. The decision was made due to concerns over the West Indian fast bowler's fitness.
