Thursday 19th December

Thursday, 19 December 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government for refusing to compensate women who claim they were not given adequate warning about changes to the start date for receiving the state pension. Parents are being asked to check their children have been vaccinated against measles following a rise in cases. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England.

A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government after it said there won't be any compensation for women born in the 1950s who say they didn't get an adequate warning about changes to the age they could claim the state pension. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman had recommended the women be given a payout but Sir Keir Starmer says any compensation would impose an unfair burden on taxpayers.

A food bank in Chard has blamed the cost of living and inflation for a drop in donations to the food bank. To meet demand, the Lord's Larder in Chard has been forced into using its cash reserves to buy food to give to those in the greatest need.

Several roads on the Somerset Levels, closed by recent flooding, have been re-opened to traffic. Somerset Council says the emergency closure gates, put in place to block access to the A361 New Road, Langport Road, and Cutts Road, on the Somerset Levels have been removed.

Parents are being asked to check that their children have been vaccinated against measles following figures showing a rise in cases in the South West, including here in Somerset. The NHS says forty-six confirmed measles cases were recorded in the South West during 2024. This is the highest number since 2012. Symptoms of measles to look for in children are a fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, or a rash starting on the face and spreading. Parents are advised that the best way to protect children is for them to be given the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, known as the MMR vaccine.

The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England. New research shows that three-quarters of people in the region use energy-saving light bulbs, with half of those questioned also using smart meters to track their energy usage.

The Hub in Yeovil has been presented with a cheque for £4,000 by Somerset Freemason. The Hub, on the Pen Mill trading estate, says the money will be used to provide new experiences and activities to the 70 adults with autism and learning disabilities in its care.

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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
Monday 20th April

Nearly one hundred roads in Somerset will be surface dressed this summer to prevent further damage. Almost all children starting primary school in Somerset in September have been offered a place at one of their top three school choices. People in Somerset are being asked to record wild mammals in gardens and other green spaces over the summer... and more