Tuesday 6th August

Tuesday, 6 August 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Drivers are being warned not to scan QR codes when paying to park at Somerset Council-run car parks or risk being scammed. Two men from Yeovil were amongst those arrested at an anti-immigration protest held in Weymouth at the weekend. A new extension to Caryford Community Hall in Ansford has been formally opened...and more.

Drivers are being warned not to scan QR codes when paying to park at Somerset Council-run car parks. It follows the discovery of fake stickers with QR codes stuck to ticket machines in an attempt to scam motorists.

Two men from Yeovil were amongst those arrested at an anti-immigration protest in Weymouth at the weekend. Police say a 42-year-old man from Yeovil was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, and a 62-year-old man, also from Yeovil, for being drunk and disorderly. The arrests followed disturbances involving anti-immigration protesters and Stand Up to Racism demonstrators on the seafront in Weymouth on Sunday.

Glastonbury and Somerton MP, Sarah Dyke, has called for a proposal to build a new railway station in the Somerton and Langport area to be protected from government cutbacks. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that she’s scrapping a £500m fund, launched under Boris Johnson's premiership in 2020, to re-open stations in areas closed under the Beeching cuts of the mid-1960s. Sarah Dyke says a station in the Somerton and Langport area would give access to mainline rail services for 50,000 local people, adding that the line between Taunton and Castle Cary is the longest stretch between London and Cornwall that doesn’t have a train station.

A new extension to Caryford Community Hall in Ansford has been formally opened. The extension includes a meeting room for up to sixty people and a smaller meeting room for twelve people, together with storage space and a new ladies’ toilet. The extension has cost £600k with the bulk of the money provided by the National Lottery, Castle Cary Town Council, Ansford Parish Council, and Somerset Council.

Taunton’s Gateway Park and Ride site will shut for a short time tomorrow. The closure between 1.30 and 2.30 pm is to allow for a replacement barrier to be installed. Anyone needing access to the Gateway Park and Ride during this time for hospital appointments should use the Silk Mills Park and Ride.

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Wednesday 17th June

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Tuesday 16th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal two-vehicle crash on the A358 near Ilminster. A man from Norton-sub-Hamdon has appeared in court charged with drink driving. An original Mr Blobby costume from the former Blobbyland theme park at Cricket St Thomas has been put up for sale... and more
Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.