Local News Tuesday 27th July

Tuesday, 27 July 2021 06:00

Avon and Somerset police are launching a summer crackdown, to catch speeding drivers. Great Western Railway, who run trains through Castle Cary, is operating a reduced timetable. There are fears Chard could be hit by further serious flooding. The Government is being asked to intervene to get house building moving in Somerset...and more.

Avon and Somerset police are launching a summer crackdown, working with community volunteers, to catch speeding drivers. Chief inspector Jason Shears says speed is a key factor in most accidents and is asking drivers to slow down.

Great Western Railway, who run trains through Castle Cary, is operating a reduced timetable due to large numbers of staff self-isolating. GWR’s James Davis says a number of services will not be running as normal this week.

If you’ve missed a recycling collection, your next pick-up will be next week. Somerset Waste Partnership says due to large numbers of staff self-isolating, they can’t return for missed collections within the two days they promise. SWP says the problem is likely to continue well into next month.

There are fears Chard could be hit by further serious flooding. Local Mayor, Jason Baker, believes the major flood in Chard earlier in the month was caused by blocked drains. Parts of the town were again left under water at the weekend. Councilor Baker is calling for a full survey of all the drains in Chard and, where necessary, carry out urgent repairs.

The Government is being asked to intervene to get house building moving in Somerset. Applications to build 11,000 new homes are currently on hold due to fears about high levels of phosphate entering the Somerset Levels. Natural England has told councils that a Habitat Regulation Assessment has to be applied to new housing applications before the plans are determined. Councils say the assessments are taking them longer than expected to carry out.

A farm in Bruton is taking part in a pioneering ear tagging trial. Godminster Farm attaches software to a cow’s ear that sends a text to the farmer saying how the cow is doing. The project has helped Godminster Farm win the title of UK Best Organic Farm.

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There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

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