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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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