Wednesday 27th September

Wednesday, 27 September 2023 07:00

By Steve Haigh

A Somerset head teacher is calling for tighter regulation on vaping after seeing a significant rise in pupils vaping on school premises. Somerset Council says it's facing significantly higher costs with the planned upgrade of Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. Avon and Somerset Police will soon start deploying a drone in the fight against rural crime...and more.

A Somerset head teacher is calling for tighter regulation on vaping after seeing a significant rise in the number of his pupils vaping on school premises. Figures show that around one in five secondary school pupils have tried vaping. Mark Woodlock, Head of the Blue School in Wells, has sent an email to parents urging them to have conversations with their children about the dangers of vaping.

Somerset Council is seeking further financial support to pay for the planned upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The Council plans to spend twenty-nine million pounds on the upgrade that would see the Octagon virtually rebuilt with three hundred extra seats, a bigger stage, and two boutique cinemas. But with higher interest rates and increased building costs, it’s thought the final bill for the works will be significantly more than twenty-nine million. Somerset Council, which is facing a twenty-six million pound overspend in the current financial year, is reviewing all spending, including capital projects. Executive Members at the Council are due to discuss the Octagon project at a meeting on Wednesday, October 4th.

People in Somerset are being asked about their experiences of accessing NHS dental care in a new survey. Healthwatch Somerset has launched the questionnaire in response to the shortage of NHS dentists in Somerset, and the high cost of obtaining private dental treatment. The survey is available on the Healthwatch Somerset website.

Avon and Somerset Police will soon start deploying a drone in the fight against rural crime. It follows Wildlife Crime Officer, PC Stefan Edwards, gaining an Aeriel Vehicle Operators licence. PC Edwards is now able to pilot a drone to search for stolen machinery and equipment, while on patrol in the countryside.

An Ilminster woman, Ingrid Bloomfield, is appealing for some free warehouse space to use for filling shoeboxes with Christmas gifts for sending to children in Ukraine. Ingrid is asking for someone to loan her between two and four thousand square feet of floor space within a ten-mile radius of Ilminster for her charity work.

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