Local News Friday 30th September

    People in Somerset are being encouraged to take up their Covid booster and flu jabs as soon as they're offered them. Only a handful of trains will be running through Yeovil Junction and Sherborne stations on the Exeter to Waterloo line tomorrow and Sunday due to further strike action. A Chard man has been fined £120 for stealing alcohol from the Tesco store in the town. The National Trust is raising concerns about the climate's impact on autumn colour across the landscape in Somerset and a girl who lives in Ilminster has raised over £1500 for Young Lives versus Cancer in Somerset.

    People in Somerset are being encouraged to take up their Covid booster and flu jabs as soon as they're offered them. Public health officials are warning of an earlier and bigger wave of seasonal flu, combined with rising numbers of Covid cases. NHS Somerset says the Covid autumn booster programme for people aged 65 and over and for healthcare workers has been very busy already. 

    Only a handful of trains will be running through Yeovil Junction and Sherborne stations on the Exeter to Waterloo line tomorrow and Sunday due to further strike action by members of the RMT and TSSA unions. South West Railway is advising people to use other forms of public transport this weekend and to only use the train if the journey is essential.

    A Chard man has been fined £120 for stealing alcohol from the Tesco store in the town. Chino Brun of Phelps Close in Chard pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of gin and two bottles of whisky from Tesco and also admitted being in breach of a conditional discharge imposed for a previous offence of theft when he appeared before magistrates in Yeovil. (This story is courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News). 

    The National Trust is raising concerns about the climate's impact on autumn colour across the landscape in Somerset. They say the next few weeks will be vital in determining how much the summer heat wave and the ongoing lack of rain have influenced the colours within the local landscape.

    A girl who lives in Ilminster has raised over £1500 for Young Lives versus Cancer in Somerset. 6-year-old Lydia raised the money with a fate that she organised with the help of her parents. Last year, Young Lives versus Cancer in Somerset give grants worth £17,500 to local families to help with the costs of fighting cancer.

    More from News

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      EDF has completed another milestone in constructing the new 'Hinkley C' nuclear power plant near Bridgwater. The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire opens today with helicopters built in Yeovil on display. A road leading to Chard reservoir, shut two months ago for strengthening work to a dam wall, has re-opened...and more

    • Thursday 17th July

      Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Ilminster residents are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset later this year...and more

    • Wednesday 16th July

      A children’s play area in Ilminster has been closed on safety grounds after badger setts were found on the land. Somerset Council sold off £90m of property assets last year to help fight off bankruptcy. Crewkerne Community Hospital could be turned into a neighbourhood health centre...and more.

    • Tuesday 15th July

      The fire service has blamed a discarded portable barbecue for starting a blaze at Ham Hill Country Park. A care home for people with autism and complex needs in Crewkerne has been rated 'good'. A seven-year-old Yeovil boy has set a new world record for completing the most number of consecutive sit-ups for his age group...and more

    • Monday 14th July

      Somerset Council is warning motorists against scanning QR codes at its car parks payment meters. Chard Town Council is spending £10,000 on short-term youth provision over the summer months. Former Yeovil Town player Marcus Stewart says he wants to continue raising money towards finding a cure for motor neurone disease...and more.

    • Friday 10th July

      A Yeovil woman has shared how she is still on the waiting list for a transplant, a year on. A Crewkerne community group saved two tonnes of food from landfill last month and gave it to residents in need. Yeovil Town have announced their fixture list for the 2025/26 season....and more.

    • Thursday 10th July

      The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat health alert for the South West. A former Cherry Farm in Chard has donated its netting and high-tensile wire to Somerset Aid for Ukraine. Somerset Council is moving forward with its next phase of plans for the county...and more.

    • Wednesday 9th July

      Demolition work at Yeovil’s Glovers Walk has been held up after two colonies of bees were discovered. Refurbishment of the town’s Dunelm store is underway. A teenager from Crewkerne has represented his country, winning a gold medal in a national boxing competition... and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 24°C | Low: 14°C

    • Chard

      Light rain

      High: 22°C | Low: 14°C

    • Crewkerne

      Light rain

      High: 22°C | Low: 14°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain

      High: 23°C | Low: 14°C

    • Wincanton

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 24°C | Low: 14°C

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