Local News Monday 4th April

Monday, 4 April 2022 06:00

Emily outside 10, Downing Street with her mum, Louise, and sister Grace.

A girl from Yeovil has helped deliver a petition to Downing Street calling on the government to recognise the problem of long Covid among children. Dorset Council says it could be eighteen months before the A30 at Kitt Hill in Sherborne is re-opened to traffic. A woman from Yeovil has died in a road traffic accident in the Scottish borders. The 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War is being marked this week...and more.

A girl from Yeovil has helped deliver a petition to Downing Street calling on the government to recognise the problem of long Covid among children. Emily, who’s nine, contracted the virus last September and must rely on a walking aid, to get around. Through the charity, Long Covid Kids, she’s asking the government to do more to help suffers. In response, the government has pledged fifty million pounds for research into the impact of long Covid.

Dorset Council says it could be eighteen months before the A30 at Kitt Hill in Sherborne is re-opened to traffic. The road was closed following a landslip in early September. The diversions put in place have caused long delays for drivers. On their website, Dorset Council says work to repair the damage at Kitt Hill might not be completed until September 2023.

A woman from Yeovil has died in a road traffic accident in the Scottish borders. Patricia Kim Common, aged 61, was killed when her vehicle collided with another vehicle on the A968 Kelso to Hawick road, on Saturday.

The 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War is being marked this week. Personnel from RNAS Yeovilton, flying helicopters built in Yeovil, played a big part in defeating the Argentinians in 1982. Commander of RNAS Yeovilton, Tim Gedge, says in the same way the conflict in the Falklands conflict resulted in tragic consequences, the same is now happening in Ukraine.

The holy month of Ramadan has started for Muslims in Somerset with Muslims fasting for the next four weeks. Meraz Aziz is from the Muslim Community in Somerset. He says Muslims are looking forward to marking Ramadan, without Covid restrictions.

Somerset's recycling centres will stay open for longer from this week. Summer opening hours are now in operation, 9 am to 6 pm weekdays and 9 am to 4 pm at weekends. Somerset Waste Partnership says Chard recycling centre has been equipped with online queue cameras, to help people to avoid busy times.

More from News

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.