Wednesday 4th June

Wednesday, 4 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council states that gas canisters were responsible for igniting six fires at local sorting facilities last year. A leading medical academic in the South West says vaccine fatigue could be the reason why so many vulnerable people are not having a COVID-19 spring booster jab. Avon and Somerset Police say the waiting time for calls to be answered to the non-emergency number 101 has been cut to an average of 11 seconds...and more

Somerset Council say that gas canisters, such as those used for camping stoves, were responsible for igniting six fires at local sorting facilities last year. It's warning of the dangers of putting out canisters with other household waste for collection at the kerbside. The council is asking that gas canisters be taken to local recycling sites, where they can be safely disposed of free of charge.

A leading academic in the South West says vaccine fatigue could be the reason why so many vulnerable people are not having a COVID-19 spring booster jab. Dr Bharat Pankhania from the University of Exeter was commenting after NHS Somerset revealed that 7 out of 10 clinically vulnerable people have yet to receive a Covid Spring booster. He says regular boosters are vital to protecting against catching Covid.

People in Somerset have just ten weeks in which to give their views on how the County’s electoral map could be redrawn ahead of the next local elections in 2027. Somerset Council was created with 110 elected members, two for each of the 55 divisions on boundaries inherited from Somerset County Council, and is now proposing to cut the number of councillors to 96. For further details about the changes and to leave a comment, go to the Somerset Council website

A Somerset father has described government cuts to therapy funding for adopted children as "extremely cruel". Jeremy Wilson, who has three adopted children, says a 40% reduction in the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will be damaging to families like his.

A section of Ilchester Road in Yeovil will again be closed to traffic in both directions from 6 pm this evening to 6 am tomorrow. It’s to allow Wessex Water to carry essential repairs to a water main.

Avon and Somerset Police say the waiting time for calls to 101 to be answered has been cut to an average of 11 seconds. They say updates to the non-emergency number now mean that simple queries are responded to quickly, with more time-consuming calls passed to call handlers.

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