Local News Thursday 20th October

Thursday, 20 October 2022 06:00

One of the companies that supplies gas to homes and businesses in Somerset is asking customers not to tamper with their gas and electricity meters. Police are appealing for help in finding a man who's gone missing from Yeovil and who needs urgent medical treatment. New data has shown that nearly a quarter of inquests held in Somerset last year have been delayed for more than two years. Police are investigating a break-in at the Co-op store in Ilminster. Yeovil Literary Festival gets underway today...and more.

One of the companies that supplies gas to homes and businesses in Somerset is asking customers not to tamper with their gas and electricity meters. Wales and West Utilities says there’s been a sharp rise in reports of meter interference and that by doing so people are putting themselves at risk.

Police are appealing for help in finding a man who's gone missing from Yeovil and who needs urgent medical treatment. 50-year-old Alan was last seen on Watercombe Lane off Preston Road on Monday afternoon. He has tattoos on his arms and hands and was wearing a plain black baseball cap, a black jacket, black jeans, a white t-shirt and black trainers. Anyone who sees Alan is asked to call 999.

New data has shown that nearly a quarter of inquests held in Somerset last year have been delayed for more than two years. The government says the pandemic placed immense pressure on coroners’ courts and that a raft of measures to help clear the backlogs has been introduced.

Police are investigating a break-in at the Co-op store in Ilminster. Police say it happened in the early hours of last Saturday, October 15th when a quantity of cigarettes was stolen. CCTV footage of a man police would like to identify can be viewed on the Avon and Somerset Police website.

Yeovil Literary Festival gets underway today. The 2022 event marks the tenth year of the festival and features no less than 54 different writers and celebrities, many of whom are household names. Events are being staged at the Octogan theatre, the Westland Entertainment venue, and Yeovil Library, over the next five days.

A Crewkerne woman has been recognised for her work helping children with special educational needs and disabilities. Pearl Barnes who has worked as a SEND Leader for 24 yrs was presented with her certificate at the National Association for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities annual gathering in Birmingham.

More from News

Friday 3rd May

Labour’s Clare Moody is the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. Somerset Council is looking to buy the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil, including Yeovil Bus Station. One of the biggest events in Yeovil’s outdoor calendar, the Abbey Hill Steam Rally, starts today...and more.
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.