Local News Monday 21st February

Monday, 21 February 2022 06:00

Western Power says it’s working hard to get electricity supplies back to people whose homes lost power in Friday’s storms. Somerset County Council's facing pressure to re-open a road near Yeovil that has been shut for almost a year. People in Somerset planning a street party to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee in June are being reminded that they need to apply for a road closure notice. A Yeovil man has been sentenced for downloading films of child abuse...and more.

Western Power says it’s working hard to get electricity supplies back to people whose homes lost power in Friday’s storms. Eight thousand homes in Somerset are reported to still be without power, 3 days after Storm Eunice struck. Meanwhile, Somerset County Council says it’s been at their busiest since the storms of 2014 - with over 200 incidents dealt with since Friday. If you missed your waste being collected due to Storm Eunice, put it out today as crews are working normally. If you have elderly people and or someone living alone near you, you’re asked to call on your neighbour to ensure they’re safe and have everything they need.

For support, use the emergency numbers below:
•   Call 999 when there is a risk to life or property. Otherwise, call 101 to make police aware of non-emergency incidents.
•   For urgent care advice and mental health support call the NHS on 111.
•   For floods call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
•   Somerset County Council: 0300 123 2224.
•   South Somerset District Council: 01935 462462.
•   For power cuts call 105 (Western Power Distribution).
•   For telephone service issues call Openreach on 0800 023 2023.
•   For water-related issues such as a burst water main call Wessex Water on 0345 600 4600.
•   Report a gas leak or other gas issue on 0800 111 999

Somerset County Council's facing pressure to re-open a road near Yeovil that has been shut for almost a year. Chinnock Hollow in East Chinnock which is used daily by hundreds of commuters for getting into Yeovil and Crewkerne was shut when a tree collapsed, loosening an embankment in early 2021.

People in Somerset planning a street party to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee in June are being reminded that they need to apply for a road closure notice. South Somerset District Council says it requires a minimum of 8-weeks to complete the consultation process before a notice can be issued.

A Yeovil man has been sentenced for downloading films of child abuse. Jamie Pattinson, a warehouse worker, pleaded guilty at Taunton Crown Court to making indecent images of children and was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A project’s been launched at Castle Cary to help protect the Nightingale, whose numbers have declined by a half in the last 10-years. The Nightingale project, run by the Carymoore Environmental Trust, will see new habitats created on land managed by Carymoore Trust, to encourage the Nightingale to breed.

Yeovil Town have appointed former midfielder, Charlie Lee as their new Assistant Manager. The 35-year old retired from playing last December, having spent two seasons as a player at Huish Park.

More from News

Friday 17th May

A new website has been launched to support people in Somerset with mental health issues. One of Yeovil’s oldest pubs has been sold. Artwork on the theme of aviation produced by students at Yeovil College has gone on display at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil.A pupil at Tatworth Primary School near Chard has won a prize in a national competition for writing a book review...and more
Thursday 16th May

Work laying a gas main on the A37 Dorchester Road near the Quicksilver Mail roundabout in Yeovil is to continue for a further two months. Somerset Council says the public toilets in Yeovil bus station will close at the end of the month but the waiting room will stay open temporarily. Former Yeovil Town Captain, Josh Staunton, has set up in business as a professional gardener...and more.
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

A woman driver has been told she faces a prison term for causing the deaths of two people in a crash on the A303. The AA says there are more potholes than ever on Somerset’s motorway network, leading to an increase in damage to vehicles. The new cancer treatment unit at Yeovil Hospital should be open before the end of the year...and more.