Wednesday 30th October

Wednesday, 30 October 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council is facing a seven-and-a-half million-pound overspend on providing children’s services. The South West has one of the highest rates of underage smokers in England. A helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton has gone on permanent display at Portland Marina....and more.

Somerset Council is facing a seven-and-a-half million-pound overspend on providing children’s services in the current financial year. The Council says it’s due to increased numbers of children coming into the care system and higher costs of providing residential placements. In a report, the Council says there’s been a marked increase in children aged under two and between 10 and 15 coming into care, where serious youth violence, linked to criminal exploitation, has been a contributing factor.

South Western Railway, which operates trains through Crewkerne, Yeovil Junction and Sherborne stations, is repeating its offer of free travel to serving military personnel and veterans attending Remembrance Sunday events. The offer includes rail travel to the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London on Saturday, November 9th or Sunday, November 10th and to the Submariners’ Remembrance Service in London on Sunday, November 3rd. Details of the offer can be found on the South Western Railway website.

Five more libraries have been added to the list of those taking part in this year’s Winter Coat Exchange in Somerset. In our area, Street and Langport libraries are taking part in the scheme in which anyone needing a warm coat for the winter will be given a coat. If you have a coat to donate, you’re asked to please take it to your local library.

The South West, including Somerset, has one of the highest rates of smoking in England, with 1-in-20 11-to-15-year-olds engaged in the habit. This compares to only 1-in-100 11-to-15-year-olds smoking UK-wide. The report, published by Evapo, found that while 59% of underaged smokers get their cigarettes from friends and family, one in three get them from shops, despite it being illegal to sell cigarettes to someone under 18.

A helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton has been gifted to Portland Marina. Navy Lynx XZ250 served in the Falklands War and was in service for 32 years. It has been put on permanent display at Portland Marina to mark the site's former role as the Royal Naval Air Station HMS Osprey.

This year’s Somerset Trustee of the Year award has been given to Dr John Bowman who lives in Merriot. Doctor Bowman, a Trustee of Merriot Village Hall, was chosen for his work raising £80,000 to start a community lunch scheme and to re-fit the kitchens at the hall.

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Wednesday 17th June

Avon and Somerset Police say they'll be carrying out enhanced patrols for drink and drug driving during and after England's opening World Cup game tonight. Somerset Chamber of Commerce is warning that the conflict in Iran is having a serious impact on local businesses. A master thatcher based in Ilminster says the traditional craft of thatching is under threat because of a lack of training opportunities...and more
Tuesday 16th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal two-vehicle crash on the A358 near Ilminster. A man from Norton-sub-Hamdon has appeared in court charged with drink driving. An original Mr Blobby costume from the former Blobbyland theme park at Cricket St Thomas has been put up for sale... and more
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.