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.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.