Local News Thursday 16th June

Thursday, 16 June 2022 06:00

Egg producers in Somerset are calling for more recognition of the financial difficulties facing the sector. An online petition has been launched to protect Langport’s historic Hanging Chapel from further damage. The post of Chief Executive at the new Somerset unitary council will be advertised with a salary of up to £200,000. Taxi drivers in South Somerset have applied for an increase in the fares they charge. Taxis drivers in South Somerset have applied for an increase in the fares they charge...and more.

Egg producers in Somerset are calling for more recognition of the financial difficulties facing the sector. Producers say they’re considering shutting down due to rising energy costs and the price of hen feed. The British Free Range Egg Producers Association is warning of shortages unless supermarkets pay producers more than the cost of production.

An online petition has been launched to protect Langport’s historic Hanging Chapel from further damage. The Grade-1 listed structure has been hit several times in the past few months by vehicles that are too high or too wide to pass through its archway. Locals describe the hanging chapel, which dates back to the 13th centenary, as a ‘jewel in the crown’ and want high-sided and heavy vehicles banned from using it.

Photo: A lorry wedged in The Hanging Chapel, Langport, in 2020

The post of Chief Executive at the new Somerset unitary council will be advertised with a salary of up to £200,000. Councillors met yesterday to agree on the pay package, rejecting a recommendation the post should be advertised at £230,000 a year. The Chief Executive of the new Somerset Council will be responsible for running all local council services when the new 'one council' comes into existence next April.

Taxi drivers in South Somerset have applied for an increase in the fares they charge. The district council is being asked to put up rates by 17 percent. It would mean a typical two-mile ride costing £7.60 compared to £6.50 at present. The district council is under pressure to make a quick decision to prevent operators, who are facing higher fuel costs, from going out of business.

Police have renewed their appeal to find a missing Yeovil man. 40-year-old Matthew went missing two weeks ago after boarding a train at Pen Mill station. It's thought he travelled to Brokenhurst in the New Forest but hasn't been seen since, or contacted his family and friends. Here's a picture of Matthew, if you see him, please call 999.

More from News

Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 23rd April

Two teenage boys have admitted animal cruelty after filming themselves throwing a lamb down a stone staircase at Montacute. Somerset Council could lose around £5 million by selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. Chard, Wincanton, Castle Cary and Ansford are on a list of fifteen places in Somerset where new 20 mph speed limits could soon be introduced...and more.
Monday 22nd April

The parents of a two-week-old baby boy, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Protesters have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton for a second time. A comedy film about the world of competitive marrow-growing and made in Shepton Mallet has opened in cinemas across the UK...and more.
Friday 19th April

Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to recruit an army of young people to act as conservation champions...and more.
Thursday 18th April

A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.
Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more
Tuesday 16th April

A new operator has been found to run a Chard care home that has been at risk of closure. A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset. People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset...and more.
Monday 15th April

Four people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal supply of prescription-only drugs in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court in connection with two burglaries in Langport. A well-known farm and restaurant business in South Petherton has been put up for sale. New figures have shown a further decline in the number of House Sparrows in Somerset...and more.