Local News Monday 20th September

Monday, 20 September 2021 06:00

Around one-in-nine of the adult population in Yeovil and South Somerset have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. A case of the cattle disease BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Somerset. A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset. Home care companies in Somerset are struggling to meet the demand for their services. A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset.

Around one-in-nine of the adult population in Yeovil and South Somerset have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. Figures from NHS England show that 130,601 people aged 18 and over had received a first dose of the vaccine by September 13, with 17,291 remaining unvaccinated – around 11.7% of all adults in the area. Those aged 18-29 have the highest refusal rates in the area, with 23.3% yet to get a jab, followed by the 30-39 age bracket at 21.4%. Meanwhile, NHS England says it will send text messages and letters in the coming week to more than a million people inviting them to book their coronavirus booster jab. Those eligible include people aged 50 and over, those living and working in care homes for the elderly and frontline health and social care workers.

A case of the cattle disease BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Somerset. The Animal and Plant Health Agency say the infected animal has died and the carcass removed. Restrictions on the movement of cattle on the farm, which hasn’t been identified, have been put in place.

A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset. It's joined forces with the national charity Missing People to try a different approach to using posters to advertise that someone is missing. Instead, South Western Railway staff will be given confidential briefings on people to look out for so they can approach them in person and offer help.

Home care companies in Somerset are struggling to meet the demand for their services, leading to more people being temporarily placed in care homes. Providers had to hand back 60 packages of care to the County Council between April and June, mainly because of staffing shortages.

Football shirts, specially made to mark the 125th anniversary of Yeovil Town have been donated to BBC's ‘Kit Out the Nation’ appeal. The shirts, printed for a day of celebrations last year that was cancelled due to the pandemic, will be distributed to local amateur teams unable to afford new kit of their own.

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