Local News Tuesday 22nd August

Tuesday, 22 August 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are working with landowners in Somerset to stop illegal raves being held on private property. Opposition is growing to plans to build forty-nine new homes at Horton near Ilminster. Police roadside checks are taking place in Somerset this week in an effort to cut the number of fatal crashes...and more.

Police are working with landowners in Somerset to try and stop illegal raves being held on privately owned property. With the help of Natural England, the locations that are most at risk of being invaded have been identified together with the identities of those involved in staging illegal raves.

Police roadside checks are taking place in Somerset all this week in an effort to cut the number of fatal crashes on local roads. Police say drink and drug driving contributed to a third of road traffic accidents in Somerset last year.

Opposition is growing to plans to build forty-nine new homes in the village of Horton near Ilminster. The scheme would see seventeen affordable units built together with thirty-two open market properties to the north of Broadway Hill. According to the Somerset Council website, the number of objectors currently stands at sixty-six. They give reasons for refusing the plans that the village school is oversubscribed, the doctor's surgery is too small, the shop and post office in Horton is too small and no employment opportunities exist within the village.

People in Somerset, struggling to afford access to mobile and home broadband are being offered free texts, calls, and data through a scheme set up by the charity 'The Good Things Foundation'.

The wife of a motorcyclist, seriously injured in a crash earlier this year, has organised a sponsored walk to raise funds for the charity that helped save his life. Karen Roberts is planning to walk thirty miles along the length of the Bridgwater and Taunton canal and back for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, who airlifted her husband Dave to hospital.

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Wednesday 28th January

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced plans to develop a new operational base on the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil. Several people have been rescued from their homes in Ilminster due to flooding. An £800,000 project is underway to restore two staircases at Montecute House...and more
Tuesday 27th January

Last week was the wettest seven-day period in Somerset for twelve years. NHS Somerset says it’s working towards making access to dental care fairer for all. A scout leader in Somerset has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Young People...and more
Monday 26th January

A new group has been formed to challenge plans to build 100 new homes in Keinton Mandeville. Bridgwater Town Council has voted to increase its share of the Council Tax by 5%. Organisers of Yeovil in Bloom are appealing for young people to get involved in this year’s competition...and more
Friday 23rd January

New data shows that South Western Ambulance is one of the worst-performing ambulance trusts in England. Plans to introduce improved accessibility at Yeovil Junction station have moved a step closer. A community centre in Street is providing vulnerable people with a warm, safe place to meet...and more.
Thursday 22nd January

A new NHS diagnostic centre has opened in Yeovil. The go-ahead has been given to build a replacement school for Milford Junior School in Yeovil. A new 500-bed hotel-style campus is being planned to accommodate workers at the new Agratas car battery factory near Bridgwater...and more
Wednesday 21st January

Councillors have approved controversial plans to build four large carnival club sheds near Ilminster. Somerset Council says there's an increasing gap between the cost of education and the amount the government provides to run local schools. The Bridgwater Tidal Barrier, aimed at protecting homes and businesses from flooding, has been reduced in size...and more
Tuesday 20th January

Citizens Advice says thousands of people in Somerset have lost some or all of their council tax discount. The UK's first autonomous full-size helicopter, manufactured by Leonardo in Yeovil, has successfully completed its maiden flight. A new pharmacy has opened in Wincanton...and more
Monday 19th January

The government is facing increasing pressure to clarify whether it will order new medium-lift helicopters from Leonardo in Yeovil. Somerset Council is spending £5 million on new laptops. A new singing group is being set up in Yeovil for people living with dementia...and more