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.

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Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more