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.
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
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