Local News Monday 22nd May

Monday, 22 May 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Five thousand people have now signed a petition opposing plans to close the acute stroke ward at Yeovil Hospital. People in Queen Camel have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help repair the damage caused by the major flooding event of two weeks ago. The main A30 through West Coker is to shut for six weeks this summer for resurfacing and new traffic lights...and more.

Five thousand people have now signed a petition opposing plans to close the acute stroke ward at Yeovil Hospital. NHS Somerset wants to shut the Yeovil unit and centralise stroke services at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. Both Yeovil and Musgrove Park hospitals have stroke units but NHS Somerset says a shortage of specialist staff means they can’t provide twenty-four-hour cover.

People in Queen Camel have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help repair the damage caused by the major flooding event of two weeks ago.

The main A30 through West Coker is to shut for six weeks this summer for resurfacing and new traffic lights. The road will close between the Coker Hill Bridge and Green Lane from Saturday, July 22nd to Monday, September 4th. The new traffic lights will be installed by the Post Office at the junction of High Street with Church Street and East Street. Motorists using the A30 to drive into Yeovil from Chard and Crewkerne will be diverted along the A356 and onto the A303 adding seventeen miles to the journey.

A twenty-year-old man has been jailed for twenty-eight months for supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Yeovil. Taunton Crown Court was told that Seamus Ford of Eastleigh in Hampshire was arrested during a policing operation targeted at County Lines Drugs dealing.

Plans have been submitted to convert a former day centre in Chard into a special needs school. The building on Wilkins Close, previously called the Laurels, closed as a day centre in 2020 and is now owned by Somerset Council. Three Dimensions Ltd has applied for planning permission to convert the building to a special school for up to thirty pupils.

A new leaflet's been produced to help cyclists discover more of Somerset. It’s divided into eight sections exploring country lanes, market towns and villages, covering eighty miles of cycleways. The leaflet's free and is available from tourist information centres.

Councillor Leanne Taylor was re-elected Mayor of Ilminster at the Town Council's annual meeting. Councillor Brian Hamilton was re-elected to act as her deputy.

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Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more
Thursday 3rd September

Fifteen thousand people have signed a petition calling on Somerset Council to cancel plans for a huge data centre in Bridgwater. A nest of Asian hornets has been found in Somerset. More patients in Somerset are set to benefit from a hospital project aimed at restoring independence... and more
Wednesday 2nd September

Yeovil-based charity, School in a Bag, has started sending supplies to Nepal to help in the aftermath of the devastating floods. 6,000 people have signed a petition opposing plans for a new relief road in Chard. The Royal British Legion in Somerset is appealing for more volunteers to help run this year’s Poppy Appeal... and more
Tuesday 1st September

One person had to be cut free from a vehicle following a two-vehicle collision on the A30 near Chard. A Yeovil man has been jailed for 7-and-a-half years for supplying cocaine and cannabis. Two Somerset teenagers have become the youngest to swim the Bristol Channel... and more
Friday 28th August

An organisation that investigates loan sharks has opened a branch in Taunton. Free parking on Sundays in Somerset's main towns could end just before Christmas. Local communities in and around Draycott will be able to take advantage of a shuttle bus service... and more.
Thursday 27th August

A 21 mile stretch of the M5 is to be given a 50mph speed limit for three years. Chard remains a safe place to work, live and visit say Avon & Somerset Police. Sunflowers of Somerset is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a photography competition and community activities... and more.
Wednesday 26th August

Two people have been arrested and released under investigation after the death of a baby in Crewkerne. A large sand picture of the prime minister has appeared in Burnham On Sea. The wet winter and hot summer means cider producers are struggling with their yields... and more.
Tuesday 25th August

Fire crews have been dealing with a fire in Ilchester which broke out yesterday afternoon. Somerset’s frontline health services say heatwaves and tourism are making their jobs more difficult. A Chard health store has been named Natural Lifestyle Retailer of the Year.. and more.