Local News Tuesday 21st September

Tuesday, 21 September 2021 06:00

The farmer’s union the NFU says it wants to see visas relaxed so more European workers can come here to help tackle a staffing shortage. Up to £6.5 million pounds is being invested in improving Yeovil and Wincanton's leisure facilities. Police in Somerset are using unmarked HGVs to help spot dangerous drivers. South Western Railway, which runs services between Crewkerne and London Waterloo, has come under fire after a series of recent cancellations...and more.

The farmer’s union the NFU says it wants to see visas relaxed so more European workers can come here to help tackle a staffing shortage. Farmers in Somerset say they've been struggling to recruit workers since Brexit and some are reducing the number of times a day they milk their cows as a result. The Government says it's aware of the challenges facing the industry but is encouraging the farming sector to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers.

Up to £6.5 million pounds is being invested in improving Yeovil and Wincanton's leisure facilities. Freedom Leisure, who manage Goldenstones, Westlands sports centre and the leisure centre in Wincanton, has outlined a series of major improvements to each of the three buildings. At Goldenstones, the gym will be "refreshed" with new equipment and the swimming pool changing rooms completely revamped. At Westlands, an additional aerobics studio will be provided. And in Wincanton, an indoor cycling studio will be created.

Police in Somerset are using unmarked HGVs to help spot dangerous drivers. It's part of a region-wide operation over two weeks following a programme run by National Highways who've helped train officers to drive the vehicles.

South Western Railway, which runs services between Crewkerne and London Waterloo, has come under fire after a series of recent cancellations. Over 2,400 unhappy customers have formed a Facebook group to share their stories of cancelled journeys, long delays and other issues. They're calling on the train service to improve services immediately. South Western Railway has apologised and says the cancellations are due to a number of drivers and guard having to self-isolate; as well as a slow intake of new train drivers.

Historic England is to invest in improvements to older buildings in Chard. The town is one of 60 places in England chosen as a High Street Historic Action Zone that will see buildings transformed and restored in the hope of attracting more people onto local high streets.

The go-ahead has been given to build 8 new homes in the village of Compton Dundon, near Somerton. The development, at Home Farm on Compton Street, will involve demolishing several existing agricultural buildings.

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Friday 26 April

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Thursday 25th April

The NHS is offering spring COVID-19 vaccines to people in Somerset who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus. A new way of making roads safer for children in Somerset has started this week. A Yeovil-based apprentice has been named as a winner in the JTL Regional Awards. Haselbury Mill near Crewkerne has been put up for sale...and more
Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 23rd April

Two teenage boys have admitted animal cruelty after filming themselves throwing a lamb down a stone staircase at Montacute. Somerset Council could lose around £5 million by selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. Chard, Wincanton, Castle Cary and Ansford are on a list of fifteen places in Somerset where new 20 mph speed limits could soon be introduced...and more.
Monday 22nd April

The parents of a two-week-old baby boy, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Protesters have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton for a second time. A comedy film about the world of competitive marrow-growing and made in Shepton Mallet has opened in cinemas across the UK...and more.
Friday 19th April

Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to recruit an army of young people to act as conservation champions...and more.
Thursday 18th April

A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.
Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more