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

Wednesday 24th December

A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.
Tuesday 23rd December

NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.
Monday 22nd December

Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.
Friday 19th December

Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.
Thursday 18th December

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more
Wednesday 17th December

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more
Tuesday 14th December

New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.
Monday 15th December

Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more