Wednesday 20th September

Wednesday, 20 September 2023 07:00

By Steve Haigh

We're being asked to think carefully before using NHS services in Somerset this week, due to strikes by doctors. Wilko will shut its Yeovil store at the end of September. Crosscountry Rail, who run trains through Somerset, has been given a new contract with the government...and more.

We're being asked to think carefully before using NHS services in Somerset this week, due to strikes by doctors. Consultants walked out yesterday for forty-eight hours, with junior doctors starting three days of action from today. Junior doctors have been offered a nine percent pay rise, which they have refused.

Crosscountry Rail, which runs trains through Somerset, has been given a new contract with the government. The eight-year contract, starting from next month, comes despite figures showing that Crosscountry had one of the highest numbers of cancellations of all train operators between April and June this year.

It’s been announced that Wilko will shut its Yeovil store at the end of September. The final day of trading at the shop in Lower Middle Street will be Friday, September 29th. All four hundred Wilko outlets across the UK will shut by early October, according to the administrators, Price Waterhouse Cooper. In a separate development, The Range has bought the Wilko brand and website.

A local spider expert is asking people not to kill spiders when they enter our homes but to allow them to breed. Dee Patel, an entomologist based in Somerset, says spiders are good for the environment and that their numbers need to grow.

Ilminster hairdresser, Ben Russell, has made it through to the finals of the Australian Hair and Fashion Awards. Ben’s success at last year’s British Hairdressing Awards gave him automatic entry into the Australian awards where he will compete for the title of Global Hairdresser of the Year.

More from News

Thursday 30th April

More than 4,500 people have expressed interest in joining a new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne. Somerset Council says a long-term solution is needed to make Hendford Hill in Yeovil fully safe for motorists. A Somerset man has won first prize at the World Marmalade Awards... and more
Wednesday 29th April

Somerset Council says Hendford Hill in Yeovil should be fully reopened to traffic by the end of May. Plans have been approved to build 40 new homes in Crewkerne. A huge pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Glastonbury has been cleared... and more
Tuesday 28th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Rimpton. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in South Petherton. Former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has been retained as first-team manager of Taunton Town for next season... and more
Monday 27th April

A former school in Sherborne has been badly damaged by fire. A care home in Yeovil has been rated outstanding. ublic spaces in West Coker owned by Somerset Council are being handed over to the parish council. Mendip Golf Club has presented a cheque for £12,000 to Mind in Somerset... and more
Friday 24th April

Plans have been submitted to turn a property on Preston Road in Yeovil into a House in Multiple Occupation. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has been recalled to the England Red Roses starting line-up for tomorrow’s Women’s Six Nations game against Wales. Three sisters from Yeovil will be running the London Marathon this weekend in support of Guide Dogs UK... and more
Thursday 23rd April

Helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton have completed six weeks of sorties, protecting Cyprus from attacks by Iran. People in Somerset who use domestic heating oil are calling on the government to regulate the oil supply industry. Patients are being invited to register at a new NHS dentist in Crewkerne... and more
Wednesday 22nd April

Expectant mothers are using Yeovil Hospital once again to give birth following the reopening of the maternity unit. A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years for committing sexual offences against two young girls. Plans have been approved to convert a pub in Milborne Port into housing... and more
Tuesday 21st April

NHS Somerset has delayed closing the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has been jailed for making indecent images of children. A Somerset man has been fined after pleading guilty to hunting a wild animal with dogs... and more