Local News Monday 11th April

Monday, 11 April 2022 06:00

Ambitious plans have been submitted by Numatic in Chard, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, to build a major new production facility in the town. Ambulances are being diverted out of the area to other hospital sites because of the pressure on the NHS. Tributes have been paid to Councillor Alan Smith who has died aged 74 following a period of illness. Police are warning homeowners about a council tax scam. Parents locally are being warned to look out for Scarlet Fever and Chicken Pox amid a national rise in cases...and more.

Ambitious plans have been submitted by Numatic in Chard, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, to build a major new production facility in the town. The new factory complex, measuring 213 meters in length, and roughly the size of two football pitches, would be built on the former Oscar Mayer site, off Furnham Road. South Somerset District Council is due to make a decision on the application by the late summer.

Ambulances are being diverted out of the area to other hospital sites because of the pressure on the NHS. The situation is being blamed on rising Covid cases, staffing shortages, and bed blocking.

Tributes have been paid to Councillor Alan Smith who has died aged 74 following a period of illness. Alan, who was a councilor in Yeovil for almost 20 years, represented the Brympton ward on South Somerset District Council.

Police are warning homeowners about a council tax scam. As the government pays the £150 energy rebate this month, it’s reported homeowners are getting phone calls asking for their bank details so the money can be paid to their bank accounts, but Police say the calls are a scam. Eligible households in our area should receive £150 from South Somerset District Council this month.

Parents locally are being warned to look out for Scarlet Fever and Chicken Pox amid a national rise in cases. The Health Security Agency in the South West is reminding parents to check children for symptoms of both conditions. Early treatment can reduce the severity of the illnesses and the risk of infecting others.

Members of a biker’s charity in Somerset have been on a tour of the Council raising money for Ukraine. Money raised by The Four Aces Bikers Club will be sent to Poland to buy supplies for Ukrainian refugees.

A school in Chard has launched a campaign to have a 20 mph speed limit introduced outside the school gates. Children at Manor Court Primary School have started a petition to have the speed limit cut from 30 to 20 on Duck Lane. where the road passes the front of the school.

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Thursday 2nd May

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster...and more.
Wednesday 1st May

SUEZ, the company that collects Somerset’s waste is warning it may cease operations. Twenty thousand pounds is being spent cleaning red paint off the front of County Hall in Taunton following a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. An occupational therapist at Yeovil Hospital has won an award for her smart appearance at work...and more.
Tuesday 30th April

Somerset Council is taking legal action to remove an arms company from one of its commercial properties. Waste collection days across Somerset are set to change next month due to two impending bank holidays. An archaeological survey has begun on the proposed site of a new skate park in Bruton... and more.
Monday 29th April

Somerset’s busiest speed camera in 2023 has been revealed as the camera on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between the Podimore Roundabout and the Hazelgrove Roundabout. Bus campaigners are calling on Somerset Council to keep the public toilets open at Yeovil bus station. The funeral has taken place in Yeovil of D-Day veteran, Bill Tolley, who has died at the age of 97...and more.
Friday 26 April

A man has been arrested in Castle Cary and charged with stalking, harassment and making threats to kill. The NHS in Somerset says its staff retention rate has improved over the past two years. A farmer in South Petherton is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles to raise money for charity...and more.
Thursday 25th April

The NHS is offering spring COVID-19 vaccines to people in Somerset who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus. A new way of making roads safer for children in Somerset has started this week. A Yeovil-based apprentice has been named as a winner in the JTL Regional Awards. Haselbury Mill near Crewkerne has been put up for sale...and more
Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 23rd April

Two teenage boys have admitted animal cruelty after filming themselves throwing a lamb down a stone staircase at Montacute. Somerset Council could lose around £5 million by selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. Chard, Wincanton, Castle Cary and Ansford are on a list of fifteen places in Somerset where new 20 mph speed limits could soon be introduced...and more.