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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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.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more