Local News Tuesday 29th June

Tuesday, 29 June 2021 06:00

More than a dozen further cases of the Indian or Delta variant of Covid have been recorded in South Somerset. Learners drivers in South Somerset are having to wait even longer to take a driving test. Four people needed hospital treatment following a two-vehicle crash in the village of Penselwood, near Wincanton. Fire has damaged a house in Combe Close in Yeovil. A delay has been announced to the start of work on smartening up Yeovil town centre...and more.

More than a dozen further cases of the Indian or Delta variant of Covid have been recorded in South Somerset. The latest figures show there were 34 new cases of the Delta variant recorded in the greater Yeovil Area in the seven days up to June 23rd. This is twenty more cases than the week before.

Learners drivers in South Somerset are having to wait even longer to take a driving test. According to data from the insurance provider ‘Veygo’, test centres in Yeovil, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare are each showing “no dates found” when learners try to book. Nationally, test centres say the earliest that a test can be booked is November.

Four people needed hospital treatment following a two-vehicle crash in the village of Penselwood, near Wincanton. It happened at around 8 pm on Sunday evening with one person left trapped for 2-hours before being released by fire crews.

Fire has damaged a house in Combe Close in Yeovil. Reports of a loud bang being heard preceding the blaze have been attributed to a gas boiler in a loft space exploding. Crews from Yeovil, Sherborne, Martock and Crewkerne attended the incident. No one was hurt.

A delay has been announced to the start of work on smartening up Yeovil town centre. Construction had been due to begin this month on Yeovil Refresh but South Somerset District Council said it will now be mid-July before work starts. The Council says the delay is to allow time to secure additional funding for the Yeovil Refresh project, above the £10 million already given by the government

A woman from Chard wants more GPs to take up free training about menopause. Nikki Long is promoting training from The Menopause Charity. She says she struggled to get her GP to recognise her pre-menopausal symptoms. Somerset NHS Clinical Commissioning Group says it's exploring options around how to improve support for women experiencing menopause.

More from News

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more