Members of Somerset Council have backed a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. A primary school in Yeovil has come top of a list of best-performing primary schools in Somerset. Great Western Railway says engineering works will affect services through Somerset to London over the Christmas period.
Members of Somerset Council have backed a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. At a meeting held yesterday, all Labour, Green, Lib Dem, and independent members voted in support of an immediate bilateral ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict, with Conservative members abstaining. The meeting condemned the attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7th, and called for the hostages held by Hamas to be unconditionally released.
A primary school in Yeovil has come top of a list of best-performing primary schools in Somerset. Preston Primary topped the list with 95 per cent of pupils who sat this year’s SATS exams meeting the expected standards. The Countess Gytha Primary School in West Camel was in second place with a 90 per cent rating. The data, released by the government, is the first performance indicator on primary school performance in Somerset since the start of the Covid outbreak.
Great Western Railway says engineering works will affect services through Somerset to London over the Christmas period. Services through Castle Cary will be restricted, starting from Christmas Eve and up to Wednesday, December 27th.
If you’re planning to open a bottle of fizz this Christmas, be warned. Academics say a flying cork can cause serious injury if it hits someone in the eye. They say the pressure inside a bottle of fizz is three times that inside a car tyre, and can launch a cork travelling at speeds of up to fifty miles per hour. They say if you’re popping a cork, point the bottle at forty-five degrees and cover the top of the bottle with a towel, to minimise the chances of injury.
Avon and Somerset Police say they'll be carrying out enhanced patrols for drink and drug driving during and after England's opening World Cup game tonight. Somerset Chamber of Commerce is warning that the conflict in Iran is having a serious impact on local businesses. A master thatcher based in Ilminster says the traditional craft of thatching is under threat because of a lack of training opportunities...and more
Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal two-vehicle crash on the A358 near Ilminster. A man from Norton-sub-Hamdon has appeared in court charged with drink driving. An original Mr Blobby costume from the former Blobbyland theme park at Cricket St Thomas has been put up for sale... and more
People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.