Local News Wednesday 13th July

Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 06:00

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.

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