Local News Thursday 11th August

    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. 

    More from News

    • Friday 29th September

      The £29M project to up-grade Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, which has run into financial problems, could be bailed out by Yeovil Town Council. New play equipment is to be installed at Ninesprings Country Park in Yeovil. A Martock woman has been fined £95 after being caught speeding in a 20 mph zone...and more.

    • Thursday 28th September

      A new service that makes it easier for older women to get checked for womb cancer has started in Somerset. A convicted killer from Somerset who refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the body of his murdered wife has failed in his bid to be freed from prison. A Somerset woman, living with Multiple Sclerosis, is doing a skydive this weekend to raise money for the RNLI...and more.

    • Wednesday 27th September

      A Somerset head teacher is calling for tighter regulation on vaping after seeing a significant rise in pupils vaping on school premises. Somerset Council says it's facing significantly higher costs with the planned upgrade of Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. Avon and Somerset Police will soon start deploying a drone in the fight against rural crime...and more.

    • Tuesday 26th September

      A Somerset woman, who has Multiple Sclerosis, is calling on the government to overhaul the assessment process for claiming disability benefits. Somerset Council has been fined £1,000 after a stroke patient was left without care for long periods. A Consultant Urologist in Somerset says men need to be made more aware of the early signs of prostate cancer...and more.

    • Monday 25th September

      The NHS in Somerset is urging people to sign up for a Covid top-up booster jab. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assault. Work has started on creating a new cycle route along Lyde Road in Yeovil. The go-ahead has been given for a new cricket pavilion to be built at the Recreation Ground in Ilminster...and more.

    • Friday 22nd September

      The RSPB in Somerset says it is seeing big changes in bird migrations to and from the county. The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police says delays in answering 101 calls are a result of understaffing and accidental pocket dials. Beekeepers in Somerset are appealing for help to spot Asian hornets that are a threat to honey bees...and more.

    • Thursday 21st September

      Somerset NHS Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, paid out more than £13.5M in medical negligence claims in the last twelve months. Yeovil-based charity, School in a Bag, is asking for help to send supplies to earthquake-hit Morocco. Work has started on the next phase of the Yeovil Refresh project causing more disruption in the town centre...and more.

    • Wednesday 20th September

      We're being asked to think carefully before using NHS services in Somerset this week, due to strikes by doctors. Wilko will shut its Yeovil store at the end of September. Crosscountry Rail, who run trains through Somerset, has been given a new contract with the government...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Sunny intervals

      High: 19°C | Low: 7°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 19°C | Low: 8°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 19°C | Low: 8°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 19°C | Low: 8°C

    • Wincanton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 19°C | Low: 6°C

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