Wednesday 8th November

Wednesday, 8 November 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

New figures suggest that 1-in-8 households in Somerset are in fuel poverty. A man has died in a house fire at Alhampton near Castle Cary. An Ilminster woman is walking across the Sahara Desert raising funds for a charity that helps people with drug addiction. People wanting to park at Castle Cary Railway Station will be able to use a new temporary car park from this week...and more.

New figures suggest that 1-in-8 households in Somerset are in fuel poverty. The Open Data Institute also found that the South West is one of the worst affected regions in the UK when it comes to households choosing between heating and eating.

A man has died in a house fire at Alhampton near Castle Cary. The man was pronounced dead at the scene following the blaze that broke out at around 8 a.m. on Monday, earlier this week.

People wanting to park at Castle Cary Railway Station will be able to use a new temporary car park from this week. Great Western Railway, who owns the site, say it's to ease parking problems locally in the run-up to Christmas but the car park will close again early in the New Year to allow for contractors to finish building it to eventually provide 200 new parking spaces.

A man has been arrested after a quantity of cannabis and £30,000 in cash was found in a property in Milborne Port. The raid was carried out after police traced the sender of a package of cannabis, discovered at Heathrow Airport, to the property address in Milborne Port.

Somerset Community Foundation has launched its annual Surviving Winter Appeal. The charity says it will be supporting around 800 older people with grants of up to £500 to help pay their fuel bills.

An Ilminster woman is currently walking across the Sahara Desert raising funds for a charity that helps people with a drug addiction. Sophi Unwin, who works at estate agents Greenslade Taylor Hunt in Ilminster, is walking a distance of 100 kilometres across the Sahara Desert, raising funds for the Nelson Trust.

Yeovil Town maintained their run of good results beating Torquay United 3-1 away at Plainmoor last night. The Glovers, who stay top of National League South, are now undefeated in 12 games.

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