Thursday 5th December

Thursday, 5 December 2024 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Attacks on local ambulance crews have more than doubled in the past five years. The trial has begun of two Yeovil men, charged with murdering a neighbour. Somerset Council is due to make a decision early in the New Year on controversial plans to build 47 new homes at Horton, near Ilminster...and more.

According to data from the South West Ambulance Service, attacks on local ambulance crews have more than doubled in the past five years. The latest figures for 2023 recorded more than 3200 incidents which is the highest number for any ambulance service in the country.

The trial has begun of two Yeovil men, charged with murdering a neighbour in a row over rubbish. Martin Carty of Raglan Terrace and Mark Sothcott of Stiby Road are accused of killing Franklin Ingram at Mr Carty’s flat. Taunton Crown Court was told the attack, in June earlier this year, took place after Mr Ingram had complained about Mr Carty sweeping up rubbish and leaving it outside his flat. Both defendants deny murder, and the trial continues. (story courtesy of BBC Somerset).

Somerset Council is due to make a decision in the New Year on controversial plans to build new homes at Horton, near Ilminster. Developers, Blue Spruce Properties Ltd, have applied to build 47 homes on land between Paulls Lane and Pound Road in Horton, close to the western edge of Broadway. The application is facing opposition from local residents who claim Broadway is already overdeveloped.

EDF says it plans to start generating power from the newly installed nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point C by the end of the decade. Hinkley Point C is the first nuclear power station to be built in Britain for 30 years.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says the government needs to 'wake up' on housing - not just by tackling the housing shortage but the shortage of skills needed to build the 1.5 million new homes over the next five years that the government has promised. Mr Dance says not only is the Labour government’s target over-ambitious but there aren’t enough people being trained as builders or planning staff available within local councils to handle the work.

Three of our local carnival clubs are celebrating after collecting top awards at the Somerset County Presentation. Rubilo Juvenile Carnival Club won both the Somerset County Juvenile Champions 2024 prize and the Most Original Juvenile Entry Champions 2024 prize. Jack Carnival Club clinched the title of Somerset County Single Adult Masquerader Champion. Little R was crowned Somerset County Single Juvenile Masquerader Champion.

Station Road in Ilminster will close tonight and for the next six nights.This is to allow the road to be resurfaced. It will shut between 6.30 and 11.30 each night until next Tuesday, December 10th.

More from News

Monday 1st June

People in Somerset with Football Banning Orders are being reminded they must surrender their passports by the end of today ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament. A road in Yeovil will close for nine days later this week. Farmers from Somerset were among the winners of this year's ITV Britain's Got Talent final...and more
Friday 29th May

South Western Ambulance Service is struggling to cope after a surge in 999 calls during the hot weather. Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke says a shortage of rental homes is making it harder for rural employers to attract workers. The National Trust is warning that changing weather patterns are making it difficult to maintain the Cerne Abbas Giant... and more
Thursday 28th May

People are being asked to take extra care in parks and open spaces as high temperatures and dry conditions increase the risk of fire. Plans to build hundreds of new homes in Yeovil can now go ahead after a High Court challenge by Mudford Parish Council was dismissed. A Somerset bakery chain has sparked a reaction after it stopped making iced buns... and more
Wednesday 27th May

The UK Health Security Agency has increased its heat health alert for Somerset to amber. Trading Standards officers have shut down three shops in Taunton after illegal cigarettes and vapes were discovered on the premises. Bridgwater Town Council is considering running its own bus services...and more
Tuesday 26th May

A Martock agricultural machinery business has gone into administration, putting around thirty jobs at risk. A new sensory room has opened at a Yeovil schook to support neurodiverse pupils. The headteacher of a Chard primary school is stepping down... and more
Friday 22nd May

The National Farmers Union in Somerset has welcomed the government’s new trade deal with six Gulf countries. Campaigners say Somerset’s canals and locks are in urgent need new investment. The Liverpool comedian John Bishop is heading to Somerset later this year...and more
Thursday 21st May

Police are being asked to cut the time the M5 is closed following accidents. Plans to build a major solar farm near Chard have been thrown out. Aldi is asking shoppers to help find locations for new stores in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 20th May

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their cholesterol checked to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with using threatening behaviour. A gardener from Somerset has won a silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show... and more