Wednesday 31st July

Wednesday, 31 July 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil’s new Lib Dem MP is calling for more investment in Somerset’s ambulance service following an incident. Police are appealing for help identifying protesters caught on CCTV spraying red paint across the front of the County Hall in Taunton. One hundred dresses have gone on display at Shepton Mallet prison, raising money for local charities...and more.

Yeovil’s new Lib Dem MP Adam Dance is calling for more investment in Somerset’s ambulance service following an incident in which a pensioner with heatstroke was made to wait eight hours to be treated by paramedics. South Western Ambulance has apologised for the delay saying that more needs to be done to ensure a quicker handover of patients at hospital emergency departments.

Police are appealing for help identifying a group of protesters caught on CCTV spraying red paint across the front of the County Hall in Taunton. The incident at the weekend was the fourth such attack of its kind on County Hall this year. The protesters want a defence company evicted from a building owned by Somerset Council which they claim has links to Isreal. The company involved denied the claim. Avon and Somerset Police have posted a video of the latest incident on their website hoping that someone will recognize those responsible.

A consultation has been launched to help shape a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for Somerset. Somerset Council is asking for comments from local people and those closely involved in the sector, including social care, housing and public health. To submit a comment go to the Somerset Council website.

St John’s Almshouse in Sherborne is to get a major makeover, including the creation of a new tea room, alongside affordable accommodation. A joint scheme, involving the Almshouse and Sherborne Abbey, will see space retained for affordable accommodation, with the downstairs of the property becoming a tearoom. Other rooms upstairs will also be used for a young people's centre and community group meetings. A public meeting for all interested parties, to find out more and share views, will take place at the Almshouse in the coming weeks.

One hundred dresses have gone on display at Shepton Mallet prison, raising money for local charities. The dresses have been created from old wedding dresses as part of the New Clothes Project, which started five years ago.

More from News

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.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more