Local News Thursday 30th June

Thursday, 30 June 2022 06:00

Eleven thousand more people now live in South Somerset compared to ten years ago, according to the 2021 Census. A bypass for Chard, planned seven years ago, is coming under fresh scrutiny. A further eleven thousand homes in South Somerset are to get ultrafast broadband. Anyone who sets up unauthorised camps in Somerset could now be given a prison sentence and a fine of £2,500 and a new book is due out soon telling the story of Montacute.

Eleven thousand more people now live in South Somerset compared to ten years ago, according to the 2021 Census, details of which have just been published. The Census shows 172,700 people living in South Somerset, up 7 percent from 161,243 in the last census of 2011. The balance of men and women in South Somerset has also changed with 48.9 percent of the population male and 51.1 percent female. The population is also aging. A decade ago, 21.6 percent of people in South Somerset were aged over 65s, now over 65-year-olds account for 25.5 percent of the local population.

A bypass for Chard, planned seven years ago, is coming under fresh scrutiny. The Chard Eastern Relief Road is meant to divert traffic away from the town centre but a petition has been launched asking for the road to be routed well away from the town's reservoir and nature reserve.

A further eleven thousand homes in South Somerset are to get ultrafast broadband, thanks to extra funding from the government. It brings the number of homes and businesses in South Somerset provided with ultrafast broadband by Wessex Internet to 4,700 with places like Isle Abbotts, South Petherton, Tintinhull and Bower Hinton better connected.

Anyone who sets up unauthorised camps in Somerset could now be given a prison sentence and a fine of £2,500. The new Police Act has introduced extra legislation to protect landowners.

A new book is due out soon telling the story of Montacute. The ‘Book of Montacute’ is the second in a series of histories of the village written by local author, Clarence Bradley, who has lived in Montacute since 1944.

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Friday 12th June

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
Thursday 11th June

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
Wednesday 10th June

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
Tuesday 9th June

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
Monday 8th June

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.
Friday 5th June

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
Thursday 4th June

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
Wednesday 3rd June

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