Local News Wednesday 8th March

Wednesday, 8 March 2023 06:00

A new hostel for homeless people is set to open in Yeovil. Homeowners in Chard are to be provided with water butts to help reduce the risk of the town flooding. Seven Avon and Somerset Police officers have been dismissed for inappropriate sexual contact since 2018. A Yeovil man, whose father died of prostate cancer, is planning to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise awareness of getting an early diagnosis for prostate cancer.....and more.

A new hostel for homeless people is set to open in Yeovil but South Somerset District Council, who are funding the project, won’t say where in the town the hostel is located. The new hostel will accommodate ten homeless and rough sleepers and replace the Pathways homeless lodge on Newton Road when it closes at the end of the month. South Somerset District Council is providing two-hundred-and-twenty thousand pounds towards the first year’s costs of nearly three-hundred-and-eighty thousand pounds of running the hostel.

Homeowners in Chard are to be provided with water butts to help reduce the risk of the town flooding. Around one thousand properties on Furnham Road and on the Glynswood estate when damaged when Chard flooded in 2021. Somerset Rivers Authority has allocated funds to buy water butts for homes across the town in the hope that it will reduce surface water.

Seven Avon and Somerset Police officers have been dismissed for inappropriate sexual contact since 2018. Data gathered by the Observer newspaper shows the force had the most incidents of this kind out of the twenty-two police forces in England and Wales who responded to their survey.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has welcomed the government’s decision to provide more support to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Investment in the SEND programme will rise to more ten billion pounds starting from April. Mr Fysh, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Education, says the extra funds will be used to build new special schools and improve services to children with special needs and disabilities and their families.

A Yeovil man, whose father died of prostate cancer, is planning to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats this summer in his memory. David Parish’s father Henry died following a late diagnosis. David believes if he’d gone to see his GP sooner, he might still be alive today. David will be joined by two friends, Sheldon Fling and Jonney Reay, raising awareness of prostate cancer and importance of an early diagnosis, along the 900-mile route.

More from News

Tuesday 15th September

Police investigating an attack on a shop worker in Yeovil have released CCTV images of a man and woman they want to speak to. Farmers in Somerset are being warned to expect more cases of bluetongue. Ilminster Carnival Committee has announced the cancellation of this year's Children's Carnival due to a lack of entries... and more
Monday 14th September

Two new mobile NHS breast screening units have taken to the road in Somerset. More than 700 new homes are to be built alongside the M5 in Bridgwater. Dawes Twineworks in West Coker is one of several venues open to the public for free this month... and more
Friday 11th September

It’s going to cost more to park in Chard. Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with two burglaries in Yeovil. Somerset Cricket Club is planning to stage performances by some of the world's biggest artistes at their Taunton ground... and more
Thursday 10th September

Work has begun building a new multi-million-pound David Lloyd leisure centre in Yeovil. NHS Somerset says a new system to handle emergency stroke care will lead to "better outcomes" for patients. Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will go on sale in October...and more
Wednesday 9th September

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following an assault in Yeovil. Businesses in Taunton say they're worried that planned changes to parking rules could put people off visiting the town. The Red Arrows will take to the skies near the Somerset border in a one-off display later this week... and more
Tuesday 8th September

Police in Avon and Somerset say they’re dealing with a big increase in reports of cloned vehicle fraud. A new video system designed to speed up stroke care has been launched in Somerset. Pilgrims are walking through Somerset this week to mark eight hundred years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi... and more
Monday 7th September

Avon and Somerset Police are warning about a new scam involving criminals posing as police officers. Flu vaccinations are now available on the NHS ahead of the winter. Liverpool comedian John Bishop has cancelled his show in Taunton later this week after breaking his ankle... and more
Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more