Local News Tuesday 21st December

Tuesday, 21 December 2021 at 06:00

Extra police teams are patrolling roads in South Somerset as part of the Christmas crackdown on drink and drug driving. The NHS in Somerset is appealing for more volunteers to come forward to help run the vaccination centre at the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford. Police have carried out an eviction at a house in Chard. An empty building next to Chard’s new leisure centre is unlikely to be demolished now until the spring and Chard Museum has been given a grant of nearly £5,000 to run community engagement projects.

Extra police teams are patrolling roads in South Somerset as part of the Christmas crackdown on drink and drug driving. Since the start of December, police say 100 arrests for drink and drug driving offences have been made across the Avon and Somerset force area.

The NHS in Somerset is appealing for more volunteers to come forward to help run the vaccination centre at the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford. They’re asking for new volunteers to work one day each week. Meanwhile, drop-in Covid jabs are being offered in Yeovil & Shepton Mallet today. Anyone wanting a first, second or booster jab can just call in without an appointment at the offices of Mendip Council where the centre is located. It’s open until 10 pm. In Yeovil, walk-in covid vaccinations for anyone over 18 will be available at the Yeovil College reception building between the hours of 9 am and 11:45 am and another walk-in clinic will be open at Birchfield Church between 2 pm and 4:45 pm. On Wednesday the 22nd there will also be a walk-in clinic at Preston Academy between 10 am and 3:45 pm. If you are visiting any of the clinics please take your NHS number with you so that an efficient administration process can be assured.

Police have carried out an eviction at a house in Chard. The property in Coronation Street was cleared of its occupants after neighbours repeatedly complained about anti-social behaviour and drugs at the property.

An empty building next to Chard’s new leisure centre is unlikely to be demolished now until the spring. The structure had been meant to come down when the new leisure centre opened. Somerset District Council has blamed the delay on the planning process.

Chard Museum has been given a grant of nearly £5,000 to run community engagement projects. The money’s been awarded by the Gannett Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Newsquest, the company that publishers the Chard and Ilminster News and Somerset County Gazette.

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