Local News Tuesday 12th July

Tuesday, 12 July 2022 06:00

Somerset is under a level two heat-health warning from today with temperatures expected to stay well above average all week. The number of people in the South West using medical cannabis is growing. Voters in Yeovil will have five candidates to choose from when they go to the polls in a council by-election on Thursday this week. An Ilminster man, caught at the wheel of his car three times over the drink drive limit, has been banned from driving for two years and a ten-day programme of major drainage work starts today on Ilford Bridge at Ilton.

Somerset is under a level two heat-health warning from today with temperatures expected to stay well above average all week. People are being advised to stay indoors in the middle of the day, drink plenty of fluids and take extra care of children. People using trains are being warned to expect delays as high temperatures mean speed restrictions are in place, slowing trains and lengthening journey times. Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning for extreme heat in Somerset beginning from next weekend.

The number of people in the South West using medical cannabis is growing. Sapphire Medical Clinics – an organisation that campaigns to expand access to medical cannabis - claims the number of people seeking the use of medical cannabis has risen substantially over the last two years. They want more funding invested into research so medical cannabis can be made readily available to those who need it.

Voters in Yeovil will have five candidates to choose from when they go to the polls in a council by-election on Thursday this week. It’s to fill a vacancy for the Brympton ward on South Somerset District Council and follows the death of Councillor Alan Smith in April. Polling stations within the Brympton ward will be open on Thursday between 7am and 10pm with the results expected the following day.

An Ilminster man, caught at the wheel of his car three times over the drink drive limit, has been banned from driving for two years. Magistrates in Yeovil were told that Alexsandrs Krivuscenko, of Carnival Close, Ilminster, had been drinking when he went out to meet a friend and was spotted by police driving without insurance.

A ten-day programme of major drainage work starts today on Ilford Bridge at Ilton. And, road patching starts on Sherborne Road in Milborne Port on Thursday for two days this week.

More from News

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