June 2, 1981 THE race was on to redevelop Burnham's prime £1million Pier Street site.

A second developer entered the race despite outline planning permission already being granted for a proposed hotel complex.

A COMMUNAL picnic on Apex Park in Highbridge was one of the ideas put forward to celebrate the upcoming Royal Wedding.

At a meeting one councillor suggested the park was not being used enough and anyone attending would be asked to bring their own food and drinks.

A HIGHBRIDGE firm announced plans to expand - creating up to ten new jobs.

H and J Barnett and Son, which had a joinery plant in the town, had previously taken on 14 extra workers but opened up even more positions to cope with growing demand.

May 31, 1991 BURNHAM police and civic leaders expressed fears over the number of violent assaults in the town centre late at night.

There had been various reports of young men being beaten up by drunken thugs.

BUSINESS leaders in Burnham and Highbridge backed plans to allow shops to open on Sundays.

It came after a campaign was launched to persuade political parties to commit themselves to reforming the Sunday trading laws.

HUNDREDS of homeowners across the Burnham and Highbridge area were facing huge increases in mortgages and worsening debt problems - without even knowing it.

Local advice workers issued the warnings after revealing concerns about the amount of clients seeking help after taking out deferred mortgages from brokers across the district.

June 1, 2001 A POPULAR service providing a lifeline to the elderly and hard of hearing in Burnham was on the brink of folding unless more money was found to keep it going.

Organisers of the Burnham and District Hard of Hearing Association feared the group would have to be scrapped after failing to win a £5,000 grant from county social services.

PLANNERS backed a controversial application to relocate gypsies from an unofficial site in Rooksbridge.

Sedgemoor District Council put forward a scheme to relocate three gypsy families from the Paddocks Caravan site, which involved a 12-year wrangle.

BURNHAM coastguards signed up new recruits to help man the life-saving service.

The team was understaffed by a third so launched a recruitment campaign to find new volunteers.