Local News Friday 30th September

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 06:00

People in Somerset are being encouraged to take up their Covid booster and flu jabs as soon as they're offered them. Only a handful of trains will be running through Yeovil Junction and Sherborne stations on the Exeter to Waterloo line tomorrow and Sunday due to further strike action. A Chard man has been fined £120 for stealing alcohol from the Tesco store in the town. The National Trust is raising concerns about the climate's impact on autumn colour across the landscape in Somerset and a girl who lives in Ilminster has raised over £1500 for Young Lives versus Cancer in Somerset.

People in Somerset are being encouraged to take up their Covid booster and flu jabs as soon as they're offered them. Public health officials are warning of an earlier and bigger wave of seasonal flu, combined with rising numbers of Covid cases. NHS Somerset says the Covid autumn booster programme for people aged 65 and over and for healthcare workers has been very busy already.

Only a handful of trains will be running through Yeovil Junction and Sherborne stations on the Exeter to Waterloo line tomorrow and Sunday due to further strike action by members of the RMT and TSSA unions. South West Railway is advising people to use other forms of public transport this weekend and to only use the train if the journey is essential.

A Chard man has been fined £120 for stealing alcohol from the Tesco store in the town. Chino Brun of Phelps Close in Chard pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of gin and two bottles of whisky from Tesco and also admitted being in breach of a conditional discharge imposed for a previous offence of theft when he appeared before magistrates in Yeovil. (This story is courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).

The National Trust is raising concerns about the climate's impact on autumn colour across the landscape in Somerset. They say the next few weeks will be vital in determining how much the summer heat wave and the ongoing lack of rain have influenced the colours within the local landscape.

A girl who lives in Ilminster has raised over £1500 for Young Lives versus Cancer in Somerset. 6-year-old Lydia raised the money with a fate that she organised with the help of her parents. Last year, Young Lives versus Cancer in Somerset give grants worth £17,500 to local families to help with the costs of fighting cancer.

More from News

Friday 30th October

Wells Cathedral says it's having to get creative to bring in more money as financial pressures continue to grow. A convenience store in Martock has been allowed to keep its alcohol licence despite an employee working there illegally. Police have seized an illegally ridden e-scooter in Yeovil in response to concerns from local residents... and more
Thursday 29th October

A Yeovil man has been detained under the Mental Health Act for attacking his mother with a knife. People in Chard are being reminded that it’s unlawful to attach flags to lamp posts and street furniture. Wincanton Racecourse has called off its 'Badger Chase Day' because the ground is too firm... and more
Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

Work has started building a new six-million-pound flood defence scheme in Taunton. Plans have been submitted to build a new church hall in Martock. People are being asked to donate gifts to this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal... and more
Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

The owner of campsite in Somerset says a two-thousand-seven-hundred percent increase in business rates will be 'catastrophic' for his business. Plans to build nearly 300 new homes on the outskirts of Chard have been given the go ahead. Yeovil Town are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after beating Leatherhead 5-2 at Huish Park last night... and more