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.

More from News

Tuesday 15th September

Police investigating an attack on a shop worker in Yeovil have released CCTV images of a man and woman they want to speak to. Farmers in Somerset are being warned to expect more cases of bluetongue. Ilminster Carnival Committee has announced the cancellation of this year's Children's Carnival due to a lack of entries... and more
Monday 14th September

Two new mobile NHS breast screening units have taken to the road in Somerset. More than 700 new homes are to be built alongside the M5 in Bridgwater. Dawes Twineworks in West Coker is one of several venues open to the public for free this month... and more
Friday 11th September

It’s going to cost more to park in Chard. Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with two burglaries in Yeovil. Somerset Cricket Club is planning to stage performances by some of the world's biggest artistes at their Taunton ground... and more
Thursday 10th September

Work has begun building a new multi-million-pound David Lloyd leisure centre in Yeovil. NHS Somerset says a new system to handle emergency stroke care will lead to "better outcomes" for patients. Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will go on sale in October...and more
Wednesday 9th September

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following an assault in Yeovil. Businesses in Taunton say they're worried that planned changes to parking rules could put people off visiting the town. The Red Arrows will take to the skies near the Somerset border in a one-off display later this week... and more
Tuesday 8th September

Police in Avon and Somerset say they’re dealing with a big increase in reports of cloned vehicle fraud. A new video system designed to speed up stroke care has been launched in Somerset. Pilgrims are walking through Somerset this week to mark eight hundred years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi... and more
Monday 7th September

Avon and Somerset Police are warning about a new scam involving criminals posing as police officers. Flu vaccinations are now available on the NHS ahead of the winter. Liverpool comedian John Bishop has cancelled his show in Taunton later this week after breaking his ankle... and more
Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more