Local News Monday 22nd May

Monday, 22 May 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Five thousand people have now signed a petition opposing plans to close the acute stroke ward at Yeovil Hospital. People in Queen Camel have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help repair the damage caused by the major flooding event of two weeks ago. The main A30 through West Coker is to shut for six weeks this summer for resurfacing and new traffic lights...and more.

Five thousand people have now signed a petition opposing plans to close the acute stroke ward at Yeovil Hospital. NHS Somerset wants to shut the Yeovil unit and centralise stroke services at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. Both Yeovil and Musgrove Park hospitals have stroke units but NHS Somerset says a shortage of specialist staff means they can’t provide twenty-four-hour cover.

People in Queen Camel have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help repair the damage caused by the major flooding event of two weeks ago.

The main A30 through West Coker is to shut for six weeks this summer for resurfacing and new traffic lights. The road will close between the Coker Hill Bridge and Green Lane from Saturday, July 22nd to Monday, September 4th. The new traffic lights will be installed by the Post Office at the junction of High Street with Church Street and East Street. Motorists using the A30 to drive into Yeovil from Chard and Crewkerne will be diverted along the A356 and onto the A303 adding seventeen miles to the journey.

A twenty-year-old man has been jailed for twenty-eight months for supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Yeovil. Taunton Crown Court was told that Seamus Ford of Eastleigh in Hampshire was arrested during a policing operation targeted at County Lines Drugs dealing.

Plans have been submitted to convert a former day centre in Chard into a special needs school. The building on Wilkins Close, previously called the Laurels, closed as a day centre in 2020 and is now owned by Somerset Council. Three Dimensions Ltd has applied for planning permission to convert the building to a special school for up to thirty pupils.

A new leaflet's been produced to help cyclists discover more of Somerset. It’s divided into eight sections exploring country lanes, market towns and villages, covering eighty miles of cycleways. The leaflet's free and is available from tourist information centres.

Councillor Leanne Taylor was re-elected Mayor of Ilminster at the Town Council's annual meeting. Councillor Brian Hamilton was re-elected to act as her deputy.

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Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.
Thursday 17th April

The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Wednesday 16th April

Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
Tuesday 15th April

A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more