Local News Friday 4th June

Friday, 4 June 2021 06:00

Strawberries grown in Somerset this year are set to be bigger and juicier thanks to unseasonal weather in May. Drivers travelling between the A303 Ilminster bypass and the M5 may have to wait until 2028 for the journey to take less time. The Environment Agency says there’s ‘no quick fix’ to the problem of water pollution in protected habitats on Somerset's Levels. People in South Somerset have until 5 pm today to vote on the planned changes to local government in the County...and more.

Strawberries grown in Somerset this year are set to be bigger and juicier thanks to unseasonal weather in May. Fruit farmers in the County claim the local strawberry crop this summer will be one of the tastiest on record

Drivers travelling between the A303 Ilminster bypass and the M5 may have to wait until 2028 for the journey to take less time. Highways England plan to dual the A358 between the Southfields roundabout near Ilminster and Junction 25 on the M5 at Taunton to make it easier to get between the two places but before work can start, the public has to be consulted on the plans and detailed design work carried out which could take several more years to complete.

The Environment Agency says there’s ‘no quick fix’ to the problem of water pollution in protected habitats on Somerset's Levels. Natural England has downgraded the water quality status of some sites on the Levels and called for urgent action to reduce pollutants, called phosphates, which harm wildlife.

People in South Somerset have until 5 pm today (04-06) to vote on the planned changes to local government in the County. The government is considering replacing Somerset’s five existing councils with one or two councils. The one council option is supported by the County Council. The two council option, with one based on the eastern side of Somerset, the other on the western side and this proposal is supported by Somerset’s four District Councils. The result of the poll is due to be announced on Monday.

A new subscription service for using e-scooters in Yeovil has been launched. Z-wings, who run the e-scooters in the town, has introduced a Z-wings Ride Pass for riders to buy passes based on how much they use e-scooters. Four pass options are available ranging in price from £50 to just £5.

More from News

Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.