county news

Honiton Road in Taunton to close on weekdays for two weeks

Honiton Road in Taunton to close on weekdays for two weeks

GoogleA shuttle will run between Canons Grove and Trull Stores during the Honiton Road closureA road in Somerset will be closed on weekdays for two weeks while it is resurfaced.Work on Honiton Road, in Taunton, is due to start later and finish on 21 November.The road will be closed from 09:30 to 15:30 GMT on weekdays but will be open as usual on weekends.Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council's lead member for transport, said the team will do their…

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Man writes book based on 200 of his parents’ WW2 love letters

Man writes book based on 200 of his parents’ WW2 love letters

Steve KnibbsGloucestershire, SomersetMike GouldGrace and Les Gould rarely spoke of their time in the serviceA man has written a book based on more than 200 love letters he discovered his parents had written to each other during World War Two.Mike Gould, from Paulton in North East Somerset, found a suitcase in his parents' attic after his mum died, which contained letters, photographs and memorabilia he had never seen."I realised that not only are they love letters, but they're…

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Cornwall man in Jamaica for work stays to help after hurricane

Cornwall man in Jamaica for work stays to help after hurricane

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestDavid HaleDavid Hale has been raising money through an online fundraiserA man who has been working to in Jamaica as an engineering manager has decided to remain after Hurricane Melissa to help people rebuild.David Hale, from Saltash, Cornwall, has been working with local residents to clear debris, repair homes, and deliver food and essential supplies and raise money through an online fundraiser.Mr Hale said the area he was living in had less damage than what he…

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Six weeks of roadworks begin at busy Sturminster Newton junction

Six weeks of roadworks begin at busy Sturminster Newton junction

Nightly road closures and temporary traffic lights are expected at a busy junction as resurfacing work and signal upgrades begin.Dorset Council said work will take place on the A357 Newton Hill/Bridge Street junction of Sturminster Newton Bridge until 19 December.Outdated signals will be replaced with modern equipment and above-ground detection to improve reliability and reduce future maintenance.Three-way temporary lights will operate throughout the works and pedestrian access will be maintained via a temporary crossing.The council said drivers should…

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Devon and Cornwall drug tests positive for nearly half of drivers

Devon and Cornwall drug tests positive for nearly half of drivers

Briohny WilliamsSouth WestBBCPatrol Insp Wes Watkins said police were stepping up awareness of drug-drivingPeople as young as 16 are testing positive for drug-driving, police have said. Figures from Devon and Cornwall Police showed that, out of 1,245 drivers who were tested between 1 January and 30 June 2025, nearly half (45%) had illegal substances in their system. The youngest male was a 16-year-old in Newquay who tested positive for cannabis, and the youngest female was a 18-year-old in…

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Two arrests after suspicious item found in bag

Two arrests after suspicious item found in bag

Chloe HarcombeWest of EnglandGoogleA cordon was set up on West Street in Weston-super-Mare as a precaution, police saidTwo men have been arrested after a rucksack containing a suspicious item was left on a street.Avon and Somerset Police found the bag on West Street in Weston-super-Mare at about 15:30 GMT. A 39-year-old man of no fixed abode and a man in his 50s from West Street were in police custody in connection with the incident, officers said.A cordon was…

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WW1 letter at Dorset museum reveals courage of fallen tank gunner

WW1 letter at Dorset museum reveals courage of fallen tank gunner

Marcus WhiteSouth of EnglandThe Tank MuseumThe Mark IV tank, the first to be mass produced, entered service in 1917A newly-unearthed letter has revealed the courage of a World War One tank gunner during the final days of his life.L/Cpl G S Hopkins was in two tanks which were badly damaged by shells over the space of a few days, later dying from his injuries.His commanding officer wrote to a grieving relative that the gunner "was as badly smashed…

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Ceremonies on Remembrance Sunday in the south of England

Ceremonies on Remembrance Sunday in the south of England

Services and parades have been marking the closest Sunday to Armistice Day across the country.Across the south of England, residents who had gathered in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight fell silent to remember those who died while serving in the armed forces.Richard Creech, who served in the Royal Navy for 33 years, was among hundreds of people who attended a service at Southampton's cenotaph."It makes you feel very proud and it's very humbling to…

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‘Thoughts are always with those still serving’

‘Thoughts are always with those still serving’

Pippa RifkaBBC News, SomersetBlind Veterans UKJohn Hardy served in the Gulf War with the Royal Army Medical CorpsA blind veteran says he was "filled with pride" to lead a contingent for a Remembrance Sunday parade.John Hardy, from Bridgwater in Somerset, was asked to lead the Blind Veterans UK contingent at the Remembrance parade in London. The 69-year-old, who served in the Gulf War with the Royal Army Medical Corps, also laid a wreath at the Cenotaph for his…

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West of England falls silent to pay respects

West of England falls silent to pay respects

Chloe Harcombe,West of England and Ross Pollard,in BathBBCCapt John Ledgister is the parade commander and director in Bath, SomersetThousands of people across the west of England gathered to pay their respects and mark Remembrance Sunday.Parades, remembrance services and wreath-laying ceremonies were held in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire this morning. The region fell silent at 11:00 GMT in honour of those that lost their lives in war.Capt John Ledgister, parade commander and director in Bath, said: "We're trying…

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Cornwall mums no longer feel ‘invisible’ after joining bands

Cornwall mums no longer feel ‘invisible’ after joining bands

Penny BulkeleyHelen Davies (left) said she felt "like a teenager again""I feel like I have some purpose again. I'm Helen - I'm not just someone's mum or a housewife."Helen Davies, 54, from Mevagissey, Cornwall, said rediscovering music after a 28-year break had been "life-changing".The mother-of-three, who is part of a band called Hell Up, said music had given her something she felt "was missing" after she gave it up after a bike crash.Another mother and a member of…

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Pair in three-wheeled car reach Africa in world record attempt

Pair in three-wheeled car reach Africa in world record attempt

Seth ScottThe Reliant Robin has endured "bumps and bruises" on the 10,000-mile journey Two men who are driving to Cape Town in a three-wheeled vehicle have reached Africa.Oliver Jenks, from Newton Abbot, Devon, and Seth Scott, from Canada, set off from London on 24 October in their Reliant Robin, called "Sheila the three-wheeler", in their attempt to break a world record.Speaking from Senegal, Mr Oliver said they had faced some bumps along the way which had taken a…

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