A teenage boy on trial for the murder if Aria Thorpe seareched online 'What happens if you kill' minutes after stabbing the nine-year-old girl to death, a court heard. The 16-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons stabbed Aria Thorpe once in the chest at a house in Weston-super-Mare, in December last year a court was told. A new picture of Aria Thorpe has been released today. She was nine when she died(Image: Avon and Somerset Police / SWNS) After leaving the property

Marine Lake in Weston-super-Mare will undergo a series of temporary closures throughout the summer and autumn the council has announced. The seafront lake in Weston-super-Mare, which dates back to the 1920s and reopened after a £1 million upgrade following its winter closure, will close from Monday to Thursday during the scheduled periods. Marine Lake in Weston-super-Mare (Photo: North Somerset Council) Further short-term closures are planned across the remainder of 2026 to a

A customer advisor at Boots in Locking Castle is celebrating an incredible milestone after dedicating 50 years to supporting customers and the local community. Carol Yeats, who works at the Boots store in Locking Castle, first joined the company in April 1976 and has since built a remarkable career across multiple locations, becoming a familiar and trusted face for customers in Western-Super-Mare. Carol is known for going the extra mile for customers and colleagues alike,

A military flypast will mark Weston-super-Mare’s first“Raise the Flag, Honour the Covenant” ceremony on the eve of the town’s Armed Forces and Emergency Services Day. Military aircraft will take to the skies while down below, cadets will recreate the traditional Drumhead service where drums were used as a temporary altar during worship in the field. Previous local events have seen a range a military aircraft take part (Photo: Supplied) The ceremony will take place on Frid

The scrapstore that has operated from multiple sites over the years and is currently based on Gazelle Rd in Weston-super-Mare, will close in July citing A spokesperson for North Somerset Community Scrapstore said; “It’s with huge sadness that we need to inform you that the community Scrapstore will be shutting its doors for good in July. As with many other community organisations, our costs have continued to rise, funding is harder and harder to find and so, sad as it is, we’

Snowflakes, snowfall, and snowmen symbolise cocaine. Love hearts, lightning bolts, and pill capsules mean MDMA, or molly. Brown hearts and dragons represent heroin. Grapes and baby bottles are the calling cards for codeine-containing cough syrup, or lean. The humble maple leaf, meanwhile, is the universal symbol for all drugs. Dealers and buyers across the world have begun embracing social media platforms like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.(Pexels: Tracy Le Blanc) For ever

A Weston man has been sentenced for multiple offences including going equipped to steal after being proactively stopped by roads policing officers in Bridgwater. Gary Maughan, 33, of Weston-super-Mare, was sentenced at Taunton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 11 June after admitting to a series of offences. Police stopped a grey Ford C-Max being driven by Maughan on Notaro Way, Bridgwater on Wednesday 4 March after intelligence reports linked the vehicle to criminality. Checks

The Halifax branch located on the exterior of the Sovereign Centre is to close in October, the leader of North Somerset Council; Cllr Mike Bell has announced. Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland are part of the same group, Halifax customers will be able to use the Lloyds Weston-super-Mare branch in South Parade for their banking needs. Cllr Mike Bell said; “This is obviously doubly disappointing as it means we have lost another town centre bank and gain another empty unit. C

Organisers of Summer Fest at the Beach have issued a statement addressing some of the issues raised about the weekends event A spokesperson on behalf of the festival said; “We wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been an incredible, emotional and at times challenging weekend. Firstly, thank you. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, attended, performed, worked behind the scenes, volunteered, supported us and believed in what we were trying to create. For the la

Arthur ( aka Top Kid Chef) aged 12, has become a TikTok sensation wracking up over half a million views on some of his videos, which focus on energetic and humorous reviews of restaurants and takeaways around Weston and the local area. However, being only 12 Mum; Lucy and Dad; Lee, manage the social media accounts to ensure his wellbeing. Arthur has had millions of views of his humorous, but honest, reviews of local food places (Photo: Supplied) Mum; Lucy, said ; “From a yo

We were the only local newspaper offered backstage access to the Summer Fest at the Beach weekend where crowds in their thousands were able to watch some amazing artist perform such as Craig David, Blue, Five, Feeder, Madness and Dizzie Rascal. This is what we experienced. Photo: Weston Independent News To get it out the way, the wind. We all know the seafront in Weston is very open to the elements, and if the unpredictable British weather takes a turn for the worse like it

A 22-year-old man has been charged following an incident in which a taxi driver was assaulted and racially abused in Weston-super-Mare. The incident happened in Clevedon Road at just before 3pm on Saturday (6 June). Kai Easen, of Haydon Wick in Swindon, has been charged with racially/religiously aggravated actual bodily harm; two further charges of causing actual bodily harm, making threats to kill, and assaulting an emergency worker. He’s been released on bail to attend Nort

Kewstoke Parish Council have published an open letter to all of Weston’s secondary schools urging them to remind students that damage and anti-social behaviour at Sand Bay should not take place during end of year exam results celebrations. The letter reads; “To all Weston-super-Mare area secondary schools Dear Headteacher, It’s fast approaching the time of year when your students and their families will be celebrating their end of year exam results and we would like to wish e

Avon & Somerset a police have issued an appeal for witnesses following an alleged racially aggravated assault on a taxi driver, where a police officer who responded to the incident was also assaulted The incident took place on on Clevedon Road, Weston-super-Mare A spokesperson for Avon & Somerset Police said; We’re appealing for information following an incident shortly before 3pm yesterday as people were leaving Summer fest. A taxi driver was subjected to racial abuse and as

Waste bins belonging to private companies have been left seemingly abandoned just before one of busiest weekend for the town centre, after builders started work on a nearby building it has been alleged. Photo: Black Cat MicroPub A spokesperson for the Black Cat MicroPub said; “The builders developing the old Subway building decided that they didn't want the waste bins down Post Office Lane, so they dumped them outside the front of the Black Cat Micropub on Monday. Photo: Blac

Rowan Tree Tea Room, located within The Stables on Wadham St is to close a spokesperson has said. The business formerly operated from Weston Quarry until it was forced to relocate in August 2023 after concerns with the buildings it operated out of. David Lewis who operates the venue said; Our last day of trading will be Saturday 27th June. Until then we will be open our usual hours Wednesday to Saturday. Owner David Lewis with staff. (Photo: David Lewis) Due to the current fi

Organisers of this weekends Summerfest at the beach have issued a statement in response to upset felt by ticket holders which was highlighted by Weston Independent News regarding free tickets being issued and disabled access. In a statement issued by Ellie Griffiths of ERG Management, the organisers of Summerfest at the beach said; As a brand-new festival launching in its first year, we have worked with a number of local businesses, sponsors, community groups and corporate pa

Avon & Somerset Police have secured a temporary restricted airspace from the Secretary of State for Transport, meaning no drones can fly within the restricted area over the course of the Summer Fest weekend. Image: Avon & Somerset Police A spokesperson for Avon & Somerset Police said; “From Friday 5 June to Sunday 7 June, Weston-super-Mare will host Summer Fest along the seafront. To help keep everyone safe, Avon and Somerset Police have secured a temporary restricted airspac

Some ticket holders for this weekends Summer Fest at the Beach in Weston-super-Mare, which will see performers including Craig David, Dizsee Rascal, Madness & Sister Sledge, have been left disgruntled at free tickets becoming available for the event after they have paid to attend. This has coincided with local Facebook groups seeing high numbers of tickets being offered for sale, suggesting that the sellers have managed to bag a free ticket, and are now trying to re-sell ones

This Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 June at the Italian Gardens, Weston High Street & Big Lamp Corner will host a range of incredible international acts coming to our the town courtesy of Whirligig International Festival of Outdoor Arts Circ Pistolet is one of the many events and activities taking place over the weekend (Photo: Super Culture) The event, made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England and partner, Without Walls UK will see the town come alive with a wide ra