According to new data, shoplifting rose by 40 percent in the Avon and Somerset Police area in the year to June. Farmers in Somerset warn that a scheme to turn land into saltmarshes will destroy homes and livelihoods. Yeovil Literary Festival gets into full swing today...and more.
According to new data, shoplifting rose by forty percent in the Avon and Somerset Police area in the year to June. The shopworker's union USDAW has described the figure as deeply concerning. The data also shows an increase of ten percent in overall crime across England and Wales in the twelve months to June.
Conservative group leader on Somerset Council, David Fothergill, has welcomed the government’s decision to ban the sale of disposable vapes. The ban, aimed at protecting children's health and preventing environmental damage, will take effect from June next year and follows figures showing that nine per cent of the British public now buy and use vapes. Councillor Fothergill, says with nine per cent of the British public now buying vapes, the ban is much needed.
Yeovil Literary Festival gets into full swing today with children’s author David Walliams and Clarkson’s Farm's Kaleb Cooper amongst those appearing. Eight thousand tickets to the Festival have already been sold.
Farmers in Somerset warn that a scheme to turn land into saltmarshes will destroy homes and livelihoods. Four potential sites have been identified by the energy company EDF to reduce the impact of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. The salt marshes are intended to offset the number of fish estimated to be killed by a new water-cooling system at the power station.
Work has been completed connecting hundreds more homes in South Somerset to full-fibre broadband. Gigaclear, who carried out the installation, says 850 properties in Ilchester have been added to the fibre broadband network.
Four Somerset businesses, including one in Yeovil, have been handed a total of £170,000 in civil penalties for employing illegal workers. National garage chain ATS Euromaster has closed its branch in Wincanton. A farmer in Wincanton is being hailed as a hero after rescuing his pigs from a burning barn... and more
A new campaign has been launched to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Cruffs....and more.
A charity in Somerset is appealing for support after one of its sites was vandalised. The Leader of Somerset Council has been to Westminster to put the case for central government to provide councils with more money. A new primary school is to built in Chard.... and more
The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been fully restored after becoming difficult to ring ... and more
A property in Raglan Terrace in Yeovil has been closed down by a court order after it was linked to anti-social behaviour. NHS Somerset says investing in nurse apprenticeships has helped to boost recruitment. A new community garden has opened in Chard.... and more
The Leader of Somerset Council has repeated his call for a reform of the way that councils are funded. Crimestoppers is stepping up efforts to help tackle violent crime in Somerset. A new radar satellite is playing a crucial role in collecting data about flooding in Somerset...and more
Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more
Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. A Somerset charity says it needs more volunteers to help with research into new treatments for dementia. A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm...and more.