Local News Monday 20th September

Monday, 20 September 2021 06:00

Around one-in-nine of the adult population in Yeovil and South Somerset have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. A case of the cattle disease BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Somerset. A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset. Home care companies in Somerset are struggling to meet the demand for their services. A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset.

Around one-in-nine of the adult population in Yeovil and South Somerset have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. Figures from NHS England show that 130,601 people aged 18 and over had received a first dose of the vaccine by September 13, with 17,291 remaining unvaccinated – around 11.7% of all adults in the area. Those aged 18-29 have the highest refusal rates in the area, with 23.3% yet to get a jab, followed by the 30-39 age bracket at 21.4%. Meanwhile, NHS England says it will send text messages and letters in the coming week to more than a million people inviting them to book their coronavirus booster jab. Those eligible include people aged 50 and over, those living and working in care homes for the elderly and frontline health and social care workers.

A case of the cattle disease BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Somerset. The Animal and Plant Health Agency say the infected animal has died and the carcass removed. Restrictions on the movement of cattle on the farm, which hasn’t been identified, have been put in place.

A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset. It's joined forces with the national charity Missing People to try a different approach to using posters to advertise that someone is missing. Instead, South Western Railway staff will be given confidential briefings on people to look out for so they can approach them in person and offer help.

Home care companies in Somerset are struggling to meet the demand for their services, leading to more people being temporarily placed in care homes. Providers had to hand back 60 packages of care to the County Council between April and June, mainly because of staffing shortages.

Football shirts, specially made to mark the 125th anniversary of Yeovil Town have been donated to BBC's ‘Kit Out the Nation’ appeal. The shirts, printed for a day of celebrations last year that was cancelled due to the pandemic, will be distributed to local amateur teams unable to afford new kit of their own.

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Friday 19th April

Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to recruit an army of young people to act as conservation champions...and more.
Thursday 18th April

A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.
Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more
Tuesday 16th April

A new operator has been found to run a Chard care home that has been at risk of closure. A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset. People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset...and more.
Monday 15th April

Four people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal supply of prescription-only drugs in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court in connection with two burglaries in Langport. A well-known farm and restaurant business in South Petherton has been put up for sale. New figures have shown a further decline in the number of House Sparrows in Somerset...and more.
Friday 12th April

Yeovil Town will play National League football next season after beating Truro 2-0 last night to win promotion and the National League South title. Somerset Council says the cost of keeping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre closed has risen to £140,000 a year. A holiday website has reported a 31 percent upturn in visitor numbers to Somerset...and more.
Thursday 11th April

Yeovil Town get another chance tonight to clinch promotion when they play away against Truro. Citizens Advice in Somerset says people are continuing to struggle with the cost of living. Some of England’s loudest voices will be heard in Yeovil later this month when the town's annual town crier competition takes place...and more,
Wednesday 10th April

A former sub-postmaster from Wincanton says she's having to work a 70-hour week to pay off debts she incurred due to the Post Office IT scandal. Two people have been fined for illegal fishing in Yeovil. Images of wildlife taken by a photographer in Somerton have been chosen to feature on a new set of charity cards...and more.