Wednesday 20th March

Wednesday, 20 March 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Eighty-one motorists were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel during a two-week crackdown carried out by Avon and Somerset Police. People in Crewkerne are being asked to report incidents of fly tipping to the Town Council. A nurse at Yeovil Hospital will be raising money for the Roald Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity when she competes in this year’s London Marathon...and more.

Eighty-one motorists were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel during a two-week crackdown carried out by Avon and Somerset Police. ‘Operation Telecom’ ended on March 10th with almost twice the number of drivers caught using a mobile at the wheel, compared to last year. Police used patrols, unmarked vehicles, officers in plain clothes and officers stationed at local hotspots, as part of the campaign.

People in Crewkerne are being asked to report incidents of fly tipping to the Town Council. The Council says even its not on land they own, they will pass on the information to the appropriate agency. The Council has thanked local residents for reporting a large fly tip on a footpath behind Wadham School that’s now been cleared.

Yeovil Hospital has become the first in Somerset to use artificial intelligence to help diagnose prostate cancer. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, who run Yeovil Hospital, are working with a Cambridge-based technology company to introduce AI working to teams of radiologists.

A new survey has suggested that up to half of Somerset’s roads could fail in the next 15-years if they're not properly maintained. Somerset Council says extreme weather is causing unprecedented pressures on highway maintenance. The government has pledged eight billion pounds of extra funding for road improvements in England over the next ten years.

Somerset Council says taxpayers will have to pay to remove red graffiti sprayed on the front of County Hall in Taunton. The Campaign group Palestine Action says it was behind the protest. Avon and Somerset Police are appealing for more information and are treating the incident as criminal damage.

A nurse at Yeovil Hospital will be raising money for the Roald Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity when she competes in this year’s London Marathon. Emma Christie works as a Roald Dahl Nurse at Yeovil Hospital, caring for seriously ill children.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more