Local News Tuesday 22nd August

Tuesday, 22 August 2023 at 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

Friday 30th October

Wells Cathedral says it's having to get creative to bring in more money as financial pressures continue to grow. A convenience store in Martock has been allowed to keep its alcohol licence despite an employee working there illegally. Police have seized an illegally ridden e-scooter in Yeovil in response to concerns from local residents... and more
Thursday 29th October

A Yeovil man has been detained under the Mental Health Act for attacking his mother with a knife. People in Chard are being reminded that it’s unlawful to attach flags to lamp posts and street furniture. Wincanton Racecourse has called off its 'Badger Chase Day' because the ground is too firm... and more
Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

Work has started building a new six-million-pound flood defence scheme in Taunton. Plans have been submitted to build a new church hall in Martock. People are being asked to donate gifts to this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal... and more
Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

The owner of campsite in Somerset says a two-thousand-seven-hundred percent increase in business rates will be 'catastrophic' for his business. Plans to build nearly 300 new homes on the outskirts of Chard have been given the go ahead. Yeovil Town are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after beating Leatherhead 5-2 at Huish Park last night... and more