Local News Tuesday 13th June

Tuesday, 13 June 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Chinnock Hollow which links East Chinnock and Odcombe is to stay shut permanently. An Ilminster man has been fined four hundred and sixty pounds for mistreating his pet dog. The Chairman of the National Farmers Union in Somerset says the warm weather is having a big impact. A 20 mph speed limit has been introduced outside Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard...and more.

Chinnock Hollow which links East Chinnock and Odcombe is to stay shut permanently. It was closed on a temporary basis two years ago following a landslide. An engineer's report has estimated it would cost two-point-seven-million pounds to re-open the road. Somerset Council says it cannot justify spending that amount of money when there are other pressing maintenance priorities on the road network in Somerset.

An Ilminster man has been fined four hundred and sixty pounds for mistreating his pet dog. Taunton Crown Court was told that Samuel Rigby of Riverside in Horton failed to provide adequate food to his Mastiff cross-breed dog and also failed to provide veterinary treatment for the dog’s weight loss. Rigby, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was also banned from owning a dog for two years.

The Chairman of the National Farmers Union in Somerset says the warm weather is having a big impact. Lindsay Isgar says farmers are having to use their winter feed because the grass has been affected by the heat and are worried about the damage the heat is doing to their crops.

People with Type-2 diabetes in Somerset are being invited to join a free NHS programme to lose weight. The ‘Path to Remission’ programme offers one year of support from trained coaches as well as three months of meal replacements like soups and shakes.

A 20-mph speed limit has been introduced outside Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard. It follows safety concerns over children crossing the busy Crowshute Link.

A man from Drayton, near Langport, is preparing to row seven hundred miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Giles Johnson will be heading for Northern Ireland when he sets off from Newfoundland later this month. He and his rowing partner Matthew Ponsonby have already raised ten thousand pounds for three charities.

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.