Local News Monday 10th October

Monday, 10 October 2022 06:00

Drivers employed by Buses of Somerset are on strike today in a pay dispute. The go-ahead has been given to build 185 new homes on the outskirts of Yeovil. Major repair works to Chard’s sewerage system are due to start later this month. A thirty-four-million pound defence contract to upgrade torpedo launch systems on board Navy frigates has been awarded to a Somerset firm and the outgoing Lord Lieutenant of Somerset says being in the role for the past eight years has been an immense privilege.

Drivers employed by Buses of Somerset are on strike today in a pay dispute. The stoppage by members of the RMT union has led to the cancellation of local services.
The routes are:
6 from Yeovil to Crewkerne
30 through Ilminster and Chard to Taunton
51 to Abbey Manor Park via Cavalier Way
54 from Yeovil and calling at Langport and Somerton
55 Curry Rivel to Strode College
58/58A from Yeovil to Henstridge and Wincanton
Meanwhile, the RMT says that unless they’re made an improved pay offer, their members will stop work on Friday, October 21st, and again on the 4th and 11th of November.

The go-ahead has been given to build 185 new homes on the outskirts of Yeovil. The new development will be located off Tintinhull Road, near the Brimsmore Garden Centre. Road access to the site will be from Tintinhull Road, with the existing junction with Coppits Hill Lane closed. To prevent any increase in phosphates, a wastewater treatment plant will be constructed on the site.

Major repair works to Chard’s sewerage system are due to start later this month. Wessex Water is planning to reline an 800-metre stretch of pipework along Furnham Road - between Chaffcombe Road and Glynswood. The work’s due to begin on Monday, October 24th last for two weeks with temporary traffic lights in operation.

A thirty-four-million pound defence contract to upgrade torpedo launch systems on board Navy frigates has been awarded to a Somerset firm. Systems Engineering and Assessment, who are based in Frome, say it will secure up to 150 jobs within the business.

The outgoing Lord Lieutenant of Somerset says being in the role for the past eight years has been an immense privilege. Annie Maw retires at the end of the month and says she will leave the role with many fond memories.

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Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
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