Local News Friday 6th May

Friday, 6 May 2022 06:00

The result of the ballot in the local elections should be known at around 4 pm today. People in Somerset are being asked to check if they're eligible for a spring Covid booster. A Yeovil man who failed a breathalyser test after he tried to move a car that had been involved in an accident has been given a two-and-a-half-year driving ban. Somerset’s Lord Lieutenant, Annie Maw, is dedicating the second leg of her Jubilee Jaunt to Somerset Day and a man who moved from Somerset to America has planted traditional Somerset cider apple trees and is now making the drink popular in the US.

The result of the ballot in the local elections should be known at around 4 pm today. Voting took place yesterday to elect 110 councillors to run the new unitary council for Somerset that will have responsibility for running all council services across the County from April next year. At that point, Somerset’s four district councils and the County Council will cease to exist. Votes are being counted at the Westland entertainment complex in Yeovil, with the results in the town and parish council elections also expected at around 4 pm today. You can hear all the results in a special local election programme here on Radio Ninesprings starting at 7 pm this evening.

People in Somerset are being asked to check if they're eligible for a spring Covid booster. More than 29,000 people across the south west can book an appointment to top-up their immunity against the virus. This includes people aged over 75, people who are immunosuppressed aged 12 and over, and residents in care homes.

A Yeovil man who failed a breathalyser test after he tried to move a car that had been involved in an accident has been given a two-and-a-half-year driving ban. Police were called to the scene of the accident after people saw Dumitru-Nicolae Geambasu swaying from side to side before getting into the driver’s seat and trying to drive off. He was later found to be more than four times over the drink-drive limit. Geambasu, of Higher Kingston in Yeovil, pleaded guilty to attempting to drive a vehicle after consuming excess alcohol when he appeared before Somerset Magistrates.

Somerset’s Lord Lieutenant, Annie Maw, is dedicating the second leg of her Jubilee Jaunt to Somerset Day. Annie sets off on the second leg of her Jubilee Jaunt from Holyrood Academy in Chard at 9 am on Somerset Day next Wednesday, May 11th. The route will take her past Chard Guildhall, to Avishayes Primary School, through Donyatt, then Ilminster, ending up at Dillington House at around 2 pm.

A man who moved from Somerset to America has planted traditional Somerset cider apple trees and is now making the drink popular in the US. John Hamblin lives in Oregon where he’s planted an orchard of various cider apple types.

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Friday 13th March

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Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more