Local News Monday 26th July

    Somerset's Director of Public Health, Trudi Grant.

    Somerset's Director of Public Health, Trudi Grant, says the rules allowing NHS and social care staff to go to work after being told to self-isolate should only be used in "absolute emergency situations”. With the start of the summer holidays upon us, drivers are being reminded to check their vehicles before heading out on long journeys. Plans have been submitted to build five new houses in South Petherton...and more.

    Somerset's Director of Public Health, Trudi Grant, says the rules allowing NHS and social care staff to go to work after being told to self-isolate should only be used in "absolute emergency situations”. She says employers need to consider that the virus could be spread by allowing employees, who have been told to self-isolate, back into the workplace. 

    With the start of the summer holidays upon us, drivers are being reminded to check their vehicles before heading out on long journeys. Highways England says 1 in 5 breakdowns on main routes like the A303 through South Somerset is caused by drivers not checking tyre pressures before setting off.

    Somerset-based 40 Commando Royal Marines have been testing unmanned drone technology as a way of getting ammunition and medical supplies to the front line. The exercise, aimed at helping the Marines operate more efficiently, comes ahead of further testing by NATO of unmanned drones in America later this year. 

    Plans have been submitted to build five new houses in South Petherton. If approved by South Somerset District Council, they would be on land at The Old Fruit Farm in New Cross.

    Demand for Somerset’s mental health services has risen by a third since the start of the pandemic. Somerset NHS says the majority of new cases are not connected to lockdown but young people anxious and depressed depression about their weight and body image.

    The death has been announced of former Westland’s Test Pilot, John Fay. John Fay was a pioneer of rotorcraft flying in the 1950's and 60’s, he also played a pivotal role in the development of the Lynx helicopter.  He died earlier this month, just a few weeks short of reaching his 100th birthday.

    An arts group in Yeovil is asking people to decorate the front of their houses and gardens to celebrate the idea of ‘Home’. Yeovil Arts Space plans to create an artistic walking trail around the town and is asking people to be as creative with their designs.
     

    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

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 5°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain shower

      High: 11°C | Low: 5°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

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