Local News Thursday 21st April

Thursday, 21 April 2022 06:00

Egg producers in Somerset are warning of shortages because of soaring costs. It’s costing more than half-a-million pounds every year for police to enforce the badger cull in Somerset. Somerset’s Public Health team is again urging older and more vulnerable people to take up the offer of a free, further Covid-19 booster jab. Academics from the University of Reading are appealing to apple tree owners in Somerset to take part in a research project and Somerset jockey, Bryony Frost, is facing a spell on the sidelines and is unsure when she will return to competition, after suffering a fall on th

Egg producers in Somerset are warning of shortages because of soaring costs. Their trade body, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, is asking supermarkets to raise prices, otherwise, they'll have to limit production. They say the cost of feeding hens had risen by fifty percent and energy costs by forty percent.

It’s costing more than half-a-million pounds every year for police to enforce the badger cull in Somerset, aimed at slowing the spread of bovine tuberculosis. Figures show it cost more than £540,000 to enforce the cull in Somerset in 2021 and that more than £5.6million has been spent in total since the cull was introduced in 2013. Campaigners have called for an end to the cull, describing it as poor value for money, and ineffective at combating the spread of TB.

Somerset’s Public Health team is again urging older and more vulnerable people to take up the offer of a free, further Covid-19 booster jab. People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes, and those aged 12 and over with weakened immune systems, are being offered a Spring booster of the coronavirus vaccine. For the latest information on Covid-19 testing, vaccinations, support, and guidance, go to the Somerset County Council website.

Academics from the University of Reading are appealing to apple tree owners in Somerset to take part in a research project. They say samples taken from apple trees show the extent of damage caused by climate change, and the impact it has on pollinators.

Somerset jockey, Bryony Frost, is facing a spell on the sidelines and is unsure when she will return to competition, after suffering a fall on the opening day of the Grand National meeting. The 27-year-old was riding the Paul Nicholls trained ‘Thyme White’ when she fell in the Red Rum Handicap Chase. Scans have shown she fractured vertebrae and injured her shoulder.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.