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.