Local News Thursday 7th October

Thursday, 7 October 2021 06:00

Avon and Somerset police have introduced new measures for the public to check an officer’s identity following the murder of Susan Everard by serving police officer, Wayne Couzens. It’s claimed 15,000 people in Somerset will be impacted by the 20-pounds-a-week cut in Universal Credit. The RSPCA in Somerset says it has rehomed thirteen hundred animals during the period of the pandemic. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with possession of a class-B drug and using threatening behaviour...and more.

Avon and Somerset police have introduced new measures for the public to check an officer’s identity following the murder of Susan Everard by serving police officer, Wayne Couzens. When asked, officers now have to give the person they have stopped their name and collar number. Officers also have to let a member of the public speak directly with the Police Control Room to confirm the officer is who they say they are.

It’s claimed 15,000 people in Somerset will be impacted by the 20-pounds-a-week cut in Universal Credit. The government has defended the move saying the uplift, introduced at the start of the pandemic, was always meant to be temporary

The RSPCA in Somerset says it has rehomed thirteen hundred animals during the period of the pandemic. The charity says the boom in pet ownership over the last 20-months is due largely to the public turning to animals for companionship. The RSPCA says, however, that anyone thinking of getting a pet should check they have the time, money, and lifestyle to care for the animal for the whole of its life.

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with possession of a class-B drug and using threatening behaviour. George Darch, 26, of Aldon Springs on Dorchester Road, pleaded guilty to having in his possession 6.8 grams of cannabis when searched by police.
Darch was made the subject of a restraining order and fined £70 with costs.

A conference is being held today (07-10) to discuss the new, one council for Somerset. Around 200 Parish and Town Council representatives are attending the event in Bridgwater organized by the County Council and four district councils. Somerset will have a single council governing the whole county from April 2023 with the County and four district councils all abolished.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more