Highways workers have been taken off normal duties to clear drains and gullies to keep Somerset's main roads open. Network Rail says it will be Monday at the earliest before debris from a landslip that has shut Crewkerne Tunnel is cleared. The CEO of Somerset Community Foundation, Justin Sargent, has been appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset...and more.
With further rain forecast for today and over the weekend for Somerset, highways workers have been taken off normal duties to clear drains and gullies to keep the County’s main roads open. Martock residents are preparing for further flooding with several properties in the village already under water. The Environment Agency says it is managing to contain the flood risk on the Somerset Levels but is on standby to act quickly should the situation worsen.
Network Rail says it’ll be Monday before debris from a landslip that has shut Crewkerne Tunnel is cleared. South Western Railway says no trains are running through Sherborne, Yeovil and Crewkerne stations and that it will be early next week before services restart. SWR says it is investigating ways to run a limited train service between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction via Westbury. For the latest on this go to the South Western Railway website.
The CEO of Somerset Community Foundation, Justin Sargent, has been appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset. Justin has been Head of Somerset Community Foundation since 2005 and has steered it to being the largest independent funder of local charities in Somerset.
Somerset-born swimmer Brodie Williams says he's planning to use this week's European Short Course Swimming Championships to work on his technique, ahead of qualifying for the Olympic Games. The 24-year-old says his main focus is to work on his tumble-turns rather than secure a podium finish.
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.
A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more