Wednesday 17th January

Wednesday, 17 January 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Homeless Rough Sleeper Team working out of Yeovil Hospital has stepped up the help it provides during the cold spell. People in South Petherton are being told to stay away from a Rottweiler/Mastiff-type dog that’s gone on the loose. Rail users in Somerset are advised to plan before train drivers stage further strike action at the end of the month...and more.

A Homeless Rough Sleeper Team that works out of Yeovil Hospital has stepped up the help it provides to rough sleepers during the current cold spell. The team offers medical care and dietary advice to people without a place to live and who are not registered with a doctor.

People in South Petherton are being told to stay away from a Rottweiler/Mastiff-type dog that’s gone on the loose. Police say the dog has already been involved in an incident with a member of the public in the Mere Lynches area and could be dangerous if confronted. They ask anyone who spots the dog to call 101.

A motorist from Ilminster, caught driving at almost double the speed limit, has been fined £540 and with costs of £296. Scott Murray, of Canal Way, was clocked driving at 76 mph on a 40 mph stretch of the B3168 at Westport in Langport. Murray, who pleaded guilty to the offence at Taunton Magistrates Court also had six penalty points put on his licence.

Work repairing an embankment at the side of the A30 on the Somerset Devon border has been further delayed. Work was due to start last September but was pushed back to January. Now, its been postponed again, this time to mid-February. Motorists have complained of long delays due to temporary traffic lights installed close to Crawley Farm between Chard and Yarcombe where the embankment collapsed in July 2021.

Rail users in Somerset are advised to plan before train drivers stage further strike action at the end of the month. The driver’s union, ASLEF, has announced that its members will stop work between Tuesday 30th January and Monday 5th February. Drivers will also operate an overtime ban from 29th January and 6th February.

A community hub in Chard is holding an open day to demonstrate the good work that it does. The Chard Community Hub in Boden Street, which launched in May 2022, provides tinned food, cooked meat, fresh vegetables, and other food items, to those in greatest need. The open day takes place on Friday, 26th January.

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Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more