Local News Tuesday 17th August

Tuesday, 17 August 2021 06:00

The further relaxation of Covid restrictions has been welcomed by a major employer in Wincanton. A resident in the village of Combe St Nicholas near Chard has been overcome by fumes. People have been banned from having barbeques at Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil. Castle Cary's Post Office has reopened in a new location. The number of people attending Accident and Emergency at Yeovil Hospital is running at record levels...and more.

The further relaxation of Covid restrictions, where people who've had two covid jabs won't have to self-isolate if they've come into contact with someone with coronavirus has been welcomed by a major employer in Wincanton. Chris Ormrod, managing director of The Flavourworks in Wincanton and has been calling on the government to relax the guidance for workers in the food industry in particular. He says that his staff will no longer have to wear face masks is good news.

A resident in the village of Combe St Nicholas near Chard was overcome by fumes after mixing together two cleaning products and producing harmful chlorine gas. The fire service was called and quickly disposed of the solution that included a combination of bleach and acid.

People have been banned from having barbeques at Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil. South Somerset District Council says it's because disposable BBQs harm wildlife and are a fire risk. They're encouraging people to bring picnics instead.

Castle Cary's Post Office has reopened in a new location. It's now based in fruit and veg shop The Market Garden on Fore Street and will be open from Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. The old post office closed last week. Former postmaster, Jonathan Thomas, is moving back to Switzerland after running the Post Office in Castle Cary for 25 years.

The number of people attending Accident and Emergency at Yeovil Hospital is running at record levels. According to NHS England data, 5,224 people visited the department at the hospital last month with nine out of ten waiting up to four hours to be seen by medical staff. There was also increased demand on South Western Ambulance service. The service answered 108,449 emergency calls in July, the highest number since records began in August 2017.

The search is on for a new tenant to take over running of The Camelot in South Cadbury, near Yeovil. The lease on the 17th century Somerset pub is advertised with an asking price of £49,950.

More from News

Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
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