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.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more