Local News Monday 12th April

Monday, 12 April 2021 07:30

From today, Covid Lateral Flow test kits are being made available to everyone in Somerset. Yeovil is one of the easiest places to pass the driving test on the first attempt. The final list of candidates has been released for next month's election to be the new Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner. More than one million people in the UK have taken part in this year's Big Garden Bird Watch...and more.

From today, Covid Lateral Flow test kits are being made available to everyone in Somerset. It's hoped this will allow for concerts, sports events, and theatres to operate safely. Schools already use the kits, as do businesses but from today all families are being encouraged to test themselves twice a week.

Yeovil is one of the easiest places to pass the driving test on the first attempt, according to a report by the website Go-Compare. It says Yeovil has the sixth-highest first-time pass rate in England and Wales based on data from 300 driving centres. Of 2,875 people sitting their test in Yeovil for the first time, 1,801 got the nod from their examiner, that’s nearly two-thirds of candidates. Go-Compare has identified ‘incorrect driver responses’ at traffic lights as the most common reason for failing the driving test

The final list of candidates has been released for next month's election to be the new Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner. There are 5 people standing: Kerry Barker for Labour, Cleo Lake for the Green Party, Heather Shearer for the Liberal Democrats, Mark Shelford for the Conservatives, and John Smith, who's standing as an Independent. The current PCC, Sue Mountstevens, had already announced she'd be standing down after eight years in the role.

Funding’s been given for an old watercourse on the Otterhead Estate on the Blackdown Hills to be used to generate electricity. The Estate has secured funding from Somerset County Council for the plans.

More than one million people in the UK have taken part in this year's Big Garden Bird Watch, the highest number ever. In Somerset, the House Sparrow came out top for being the most popular bird spotted in the county.

More from News

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