Local News Friday 8th September

Friday, 8 September 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Help in finding new work is being offered to staff made redundant at Pittards in Yeovil. Hundreds of pounds worth of food items have been stolen in a raid on a foodbank in Martock. There's been a big rise in the cases of 'out of control' dogs in Somerset...and more.

Support is being offered to staff who've been made redundant at Pittards in Yeovil following the collapse of the business. Around one hundred and thirty employees at the Yeovil factory on Sherborne Road have lost their jobs after efforts failed to find a buyer for the company. Somerset Council says there may be jobs with them that former Pittard's staff can apply for.

Thieves have stolen hundreds of pounds worth of food items from a foodbank in Martock. Shelving was also damaged in the raid at the Martock Christian Fellowship Centre in Church St.

There's been a significant rise in the cases of 'out of control' dogs in Somerset. Cases have risen from three-hundred-and-eighty-five in twenty-twenty to nearly five-hundred last year. Attacks on other dogs have also risen significantly. Professional dog walkers are now being asked not to walk more than six dogs at a time to help reduce incidents.

A team of walkers from the charity SARSAS in Somerset will attempt the three peaks challenge this weekend. They're raising money for local people who've been affected by sexual violence.

Work has started on extending the Lubborn Cheese factory at Cricket St. Thomas near Chard. The new building will increase the size of the production floor space at Manor Farm by around three-hundred-and-seventy square metres. Lubborn Cheese supplies a range of supermarkets including Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Coop, Morrisons, and M&S.

Promoting alternatives to the car will be at the heart of future Somerset housing developments. Somerset Council has launched a 'Creating Places for People' consultation, laying out a series of outline principles that will shape new developments across the county in the future. The consultation runs until October sixteenth.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more