Local News Monday 11th April

Monday, 11 April 2022 06:00

Ambitious plans have been submitted by Numatic in Chard, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, to build a major new production facility in the town. Ambulances are being diverted out of the area to other hospital sites because of the pressure on the NHS. Tributes have been paid to Councillor Alan Smith who has died aged 74 following a period of illness. Police are warning homeowners about a council tax scam. Parents locally are being warned to look out for Scarlet Fever and Chicken Pox amid a national rise in cases...and more.

Ambitious plans have been submitted by Numatic in Chard, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, to build a major new production facility in the town. The new factory complex, measuring 213 meters in length, and roughly the size of two football pitches, would be built on the former Oscar Mayer site, off Furnham Road. South Somerset District Council is due to make a decision on the application by the late summer.

Ambulances are being diverted out of the area to other hospital sites because of the pressure on the NHS. The situation is being blamed on rising Covid cases, staffing shortages, and bed blocking.

Tributes have been paid to Councillor Alan Smith who has died aged 74 following a period of illness. Alan, who was a councilor in Yeovil for almost 20 years, represented the Brympton ward on South Somerset District Council.

Police are warning homeowners about a council tax scam. As the government pays the £150 energy rebate this month, it’s reported homeowners are getting phone calls asking for their bank details so the money can be paid to their bank accounts, but Police say the calls are a scam. Eligible households in our area should receive £150 from South Somerset District Council this month.

Parents locally are being warned to look out for Scarlet Fever and Chicken Pox amid a national rise in cases. The Health Security Agency in the South West is reminding parents to check children for symptoms of both conditions. Early treatment can reduce the severity of the illnesses and the risk of infecting others.

Members of a biker’s charity in Somerset have been on a tour of the Council raising money for Ukraine. Money raised by The Four Aces Bikers Club will be sent to Poland to buy supplies for Ukrainian refugees.

A school in Chard has launched a campaign to have a 20 mph speed limit introduced outside the school gates. Children at Manor Court Primary School have started a petition to have the speed limit cut from 30 to 20 on Duck Lane. where the road passes the front of the school.

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Thursday 16th May

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Wednesday 15th May

Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more
Tuesday 14th May

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Monday 13th May

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
Friday 10th May

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Thursday 9th May

Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
Wednesday 8th May

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