Local News Tuesday 18th January

Tuesday, 18 January 2022 00:00

South Somerset District Council is offering free energy efficiency surveys to local people to help them save money on their energy bills. A temporary timetable has been introduced by South Western Railway. Employers in Somerset are being told they need to think about the mental and physical health impacts of staff working from home. Motorists are facing three weeks of diversions while a key route on the Blackdown Hills is resurfaced. People are being asked to comment on plans for the future of areas of outstanding natural beauty in South Somerset...and more.

South Somerset District Council is offering free energy efficiency surveys to local people to help them save money on their energy bills. The district Council has bought two thermal imaging cameras to show people where heat is escaping from their homes and where better insulation is needed. If you would like a free energy check made on your home, visit the South Somerset District Council website for details.

A temporary timetable has been introduced by South Western Railway, who run trains through Yeovil Crewkerne and Sherborne, following high numbers of staff absences due to the Omicron variant of Coronavirus. The timetable is designed to help key workers, school pupils, and those who have to attend at work, plan their journeys.

Employers in Somerset are being told they need to think about the mental and physical health impacts of staff working from home. The Health and Safety Executive has published guidance suggesting employers talk more to staff who are based at home and do risk assessments with them about their mental health.

Motorists are facing three weeks of diversions while a key route on the Blackdown Hills is resurfaced. Work is due to begin early next month on Blackdown Hill Road, on the Somerset-Devon border that provides a link between the A38 and the A303 west of Ilminster. Motorists are being advised of a 24-mile diversion during the period that resurfacing is taking place.

People are being asked to comment on plans for the future of areas of outstanding natural beauty in South Somerset, including the Blackdown Hills. It follows publication of the government’s proposals to protect England’s AONB’s based on the findings of a Landscapes Review.

A new all-female singing group has launched in Chard. Blackdown Acapella sing in four-part harmony and currently has twenty members. If you’d like to join them, call Chard Town Council for details.

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