Local News Friday 9th December

Friday, 9 December 2022 06:00

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is urging the government to speed up allocating a £1.2 billion contract to build new medium-lift helicopters for the RAF. Yeovil College is being given one point two million pounds to spend on a new specialist engineering department. A pilot scheme, using a battery-driven waste collection vehicle in Somerset, has run into problems. A leading car franchise in Yeovil has changed hands...and more.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is urging the government to speed up allocating a £1.2 billion contract to build new medium-lift helicopters for the RAF. Leonardo in Yeovil with the AW149 shortlisted for the order. Marcus Fysh says the war in Ukraine has shown why the government needs to act more quickly on the contract.

Yeovil College is being given one point two million pounds to spend on a new specialist engineering department. The government funding will go towards facilities and equipment for teaching about hydrogen cell technology in aerospace engineering. The Department for Education says it will make sure students in Yeovil are at the forefront of developments in net-zero and cell technology.

A pilot scheme, using a battery-driven waste collection vehicle in Somerset, has run into problems. Somerset Waste Partnership has been trialing an electric waste vehicle to see if it would make a suitable replacement for its diesel-powered vehicles. However, due to electrical problems, the vehicle proved to be less than reliable and has often had to be taken out of service. SWP is carrying out a separate trial using hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of diesel to run its vehicles. A report on this trial is due out in February.

A leading car franchise in Yeovil has changed hands. Westerly BMW and Mini on the Houndtsone Business Park in Yeovil have been sold by the Helston Garages Group to Vertu Motors. The deal, worth £117 million, also sees Vertu take on a further twenty-one Helston car dealerships.

A stretch of the main road leading into Ilminster is closed for repairs today. The old A3037 between Cricket Lane and Dowlish Ford will stay closed until early this evening for ironworks, including the drains, to be repaired.

The 2023 South Somerset Heritage Calendar is now on sale. This year’s theme commemorates the Queen’s Coronation 70 years ago and the 90th anniversary of the flight over Everest of two Westland-built aircraft. The calendar can be bought at the Ninesprings Café, Yeovil Recreation Ground Café, The Emporium in Yeovil, and the Visitor Information Centre at Cartgate.

More from News

Tuesday 15th September

Police investigating an attack on a shop worker in Yeovil have released CCTV images of a man and woman they want to speak to. Farmers in Somerset are being warned to expect more cases of bluetongue. Ilminster Carnival Committee has announced the cancellation of this year's Children's Carnival due to a lack of entries... and more
Monday 14th September

Two new mobile NHS breast screening units have taken to the road in Somerset. More than 700 new homes are to be built alongside the M5 in Bridgwater. Dawes Twineworks in West Coker is one of several venues open to the public for free this month... and more
Friday 11th September

It’s going to cost more to park in Chard. Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with two burglaries in Yeovil. Somerset Cricket Club is planning to stage performances by some of the world's biggest artistes at their Taunton ground... and more
Thursday 10th September

Work has begun building a new multi-million-pound David Lloyd leisure centre in Yeovil. NHS Somerset says a new system to handle emergency stroke care will lead to "better outcomes" for patients. Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will go on sale in October...and more
Wednesday 9th September

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following an assault in Yeovil. Businesses in Taunton say they're worried that planned changes to parking rules could put people off visiting the town. The Red Arrows will take to the skies near the Somerset border in a one-off display later this week... and more
Tuesday 8th September

Police in Avon and Somerset say they’re dealing with a big increase in reports of cloned vehicle fraud. A new video system designed to speed up stroke care has been launched in Somerset. Pilgrims are walking through Somerset this week to mark eight hundred years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi... and more
Monday 7th September

Avon and Somerset Police are warning about a new scam involving criminals posing as police officers. Flu vaccinations are now available on the NHS ahead of the winter. Liverpool comedian John Bishop has cancelled his show in Taunton later this week after breaking his ankle... and more
Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more