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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Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
Friday 12th June

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
Thursday 11th June

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
Wednesday 10th June

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
Tuesday 9th June

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
Monday 8th June

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.
Friday 5th June

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
Thursday 4th June

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