Residents in the Hendford Hill area of Yeovil have won their fight to stop a former care home from being converted into a homeless hostel. Another heat warning is in force in Somerset today with the Met Office forecasting extreme heat up to Saturday. A local man caught growing cannabis has been jailed for three years and seven months and National Highways is advising motorists in Somerset to check their tyres more often to avoid the risk of breaking down.
Residents in the Hendford Hill area of Yeovil have won their fight to stop a former care home from being converted into a homeless hostel.
Bournemouth Churches Housing Association had wanted to turn Acacia Lodge in Hendford Hill into a hostel for thirty-nine homeless people. At a meeting last night of South Somerset District Council’s Area South Committee, the plan was unanimously rejected. The meeting was attended by around 200 local objectors, many of whom spoke directly to the councillors claiming that a homeless hostel would increase the fear of crime in the Hendford Hill area.
Another heat warning is in force in Somerset today with the Met Office forecasting extreme heat up to Saturday. Despite the dry weather, water companies say they're not planning a hose-pipe ban in Somerset at the moment but concern is growing over the health of wildlife living in local canals and rivers. The Canal and River Trust in Somerset say local waterways have become stagnant.
A local man caught growing cannabis has been jailed for three years and seven months. Taunton Crown Court was told that Wesley Wells-Burr of Middle Street, North Perrott, near Crewkerne made more than half a million pounds dealing in cannabis that he grow at a property he owned in Chard.
National Highways is advising motorists in Somerset to check their tyres more often to avoid the risk of breaking down. So far this year 19,300 breakdowns have been recorded on roads in Somerset due to tyre problems.
It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more