Somerset remains under a Level 3 heat-health alert today. It’s led to councils having to grit roads to stop tarmac from melting. Somerset County Council says 600 local people applied to the government’s Household Support Fund within the first week of the scheme opening. It’s being claimed that one-in-four children in the South West are living in poverty. Pigeon fanciers in Somerset say the cost of racing birds abroad has increased due to Brexit and more.
Somerset remains under a Level 3 heat-health alert today. It’s led to councils having to grit roads to stop tarmac from melting. Meanwhile, Somerset Waste Partnership is asking for people's patience as the hot weather and staff shortages delay recycling collections. Yesterday’s affected collections were in Yeovil and around Castle Cary. Those collections have been rescheduled for Saturday.
Somerset County Council says 600 local people applied to the government’s Household Support Fund within the first week of the scheme opening. The council’s been given an extra one million pounds by the government to hand out to families unable to cope with the cost of living.
It’s being claimed that one-in-four children in the South West are living in poverty. The charity, Action for Children, says the cost of living, coupled with changes to Universal Credit is causing families great hardship. The Government says it provided additional funds to protect eight million of England’s most vulnerable families.
Pigeon fanciers in Somerset say the cost of racing birds abroad has increased due to Brexit. Under EU rules, each bird now has to have a signed export health certificate before it can take part in cross-channel races. DEFRA says it’s continuing to support the racing pigeon community as changes created by Brexit take effect.
A disused red telephone box in Chard has been given a new lease of life. Eight-year-old Ophelia Lynch, a member of Chard Brownies, came up with the idea of turning the phone booth into a book bank and has been awarded a Speaking Out badge for her efforts. The book bank on the corner of Fore Street and Crowshute Road is now open for taking-out books.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.
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