Somerset County Council is warning of a staffing crisis in adult social care. Five cases of coronavirus have been reported at Wadham School in Crewkerne. Somerset libraries say there's been a big increase in people using e-books and audio books during the pandemic. A flying display of historic helicopters will be held in Chard next month. Radio Ninesprings has consolidated its fm coverage of South Somerset.
Somerset County Council is warning of a staffing crisis in adult social care. It claims it can’t be recruited new employees because the sector pays less than the NHS for doing much the same work.
Five cases of coronavirus have been reported at Wadham School in Crewkerne. In a letter to parents the school says the outbreak is confined to Year-10. Students in Year-10 have been told not to attend school unless a PCR test shows they are negative. Latest data shows South Somerset has a coronavirus rate of 166.3 cases per 100,000 people, compared to the England average of 341.5.
Somerset libraries say there's been a big increase in people using e-books and audio books during the pandemic. Between December 2019 and December 2020 e-book usage increased by 50% and audio book usage by 84%.
A flying display of historic helicopters will be held in Chard next month. Andrew Whitehouse, who owns five historic helicopters, including the world’s only airworthy Westland Whirlwind, is behind the event. The open day and display will take place at Whitehouse Farm, in Chard, on Thursday, August 5th.
Radio Ninesprings has consolidated its coverage of South Somerset with the switch on two new FM transmitters, one in Chard, the other in Wincanton. In Chard, Radio Ninesprings can now be heard on 107.6 fm and in Wincanton on 103.3 fm.
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