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

Wednesday 29th April

Somerset Council says Hendford Hill in Yeovil should be fully reopened to traffic by the end of May. Plans have been approved to build 40 new homes in Crewkerne. A huge pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Glastonbury has been cleared... and more
Tuesday 28th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Rimpton. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in South Petherton. Former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has been retained as first-team manager of Taunton Town for next season... and more
Monday 27th April

A former school in Sherborne has been badly damaged by fire. A care home in Yeovil has been rated outstanding. ublic spaces in West Coker owned by Somerset Council are being handed over to the parish council. Mendip Golf Club has presented a cheque for £12,000 to Mind in Somerset... and more
Friday 24th April

Plans have been submitted to turn a property on Preston Road in Yeovil into a House in Multiple Occupation. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has been recalled to the England Red Roses starting line-up for tomorrow’s Women’s Six Nations game against Wales. Three sisters from Yeovil will be running the London Marathon this weekend in support of Guide Dogs UK... and more
Thursday 23rd April

Helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton have completed six weeks of sorties, protecting Cyprus from attacks by Iran. People in Somerset who use domestic heating oil are calling on the government to regulate the oil supply industry. Patients are being invited to register at a new NHS dentist in Crewkerne... and more
Wednesday 22nd April

Expectant mothers are using Yeovil Hospital once again to give birth following the reopening of the maternity unit. A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years for committing sexual offences against two young girls. Plans have been approved to convert a pub in Milborne Port into housing... and more
Tuesday 21st April

NHS Somerset has delayed closing the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has been jailed for making indecent images of children. A Somerset man has been fined after pleading guilty to hunting a wild animal with dogs... and more
Monday 20th April

Nearly one hundred roads in Somerset will be surface dressed this summer to prevent further damage. Almost all children starting primary school in Somerset in September have been offered a place at one of their top three school choices. People in Somerset are being asked to record wild mammals in gardens and other green spaces over the summer... and more