Local News Tuesday 6th September

Tuesday, 6 September 2022 06:00

Work has begun on building a new hard-surface runway at the Leonardo Helicopters airfield in Yeovil. The NHS in Somerset is offering patients' families training to help look after them once they leave hospital. Somerset County Council is urging the government to act more quickly over an issue that has brought new local house building almost to a standstill. The AA says more than three-fifths of UK motorists have not read recent updates to the Highway Code and another local pub has been put up for sale.

Work has begun on building a new hard-surface runway at the Leonardo Helicopters airfield in Yeovil. The first stage of the project involved constructing a support building located close to the runway. Addressing local concerns raised at a public meeting on building the new runway, Leonardo said it would allow for small fixed-wing aircraft to take off and land but that there were no plans to encourage more planes to use the airfield.

The NHS in Somerset is offering patients' families training to help look after them once they leave hospital. It's for patients who are medically well enough to leave but who still need some help with their care.

Somerset County Council is urging the government to act more quickly over an issue that has brought new local house building almost to a standstill. The council wants plans for water companies to upgrade their treatment plants brought forward to improve the removal of phosphates from sewage. The issue of nutrient neutrality has seen many housing and business developments in Somerset held up as planning permissions cannot be granted because of the resulting increased pollution into sensitive environments such as the Somerset Levels.

The AA says more than three-fifths of UK motorists have not read recent updates to the Highway Code. New guidance was issued in January giving pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders, greater priority on the roads.

Another local pub has been put up for sale. The Marston Inn at Marston Magna near Yeovil features two bars, a restaurant, and a skittle alley and stands alongside the main A359 and is being sold with a guide price of £395,000.

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Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more