Local News Tuesday 17th August

Tuesday, 17 August 2021 06:00

The further relaxation of Covid restrictions has been welcomed by a major employer in Wincanton. A resident in the village of Combe St Nicholas near Chard has been overcome by fumes. People have been banned from having barbeques at Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil. Castle Cary's Post Office has reopened in a new location. The number of people attending Accident and Emergency at Yeovil Hospital is running at record levels...and more.

The further relaxation of Covid restrictions, where people who've had two covid jabs won't have to self-isolate if they've come into contact with someone with coronavirus has been welcomed by a major employer in Wincanton. Chris Ormrod, managing director of The Flavourworks in Wincanton and has been calling on the government to relax the guidance for workers in the food industry in particular. He says that his staff will no longer have to wear face masks is good news.

A resident in the village of Combe St Nicholas near Chard was overcome by fumes after mixing together two cleaning products and producing harmful chlorine gas. The fire service was called and quickly disposed of the solution that included a combination of bleach and acid.

People have been banned from having barbeques at Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil. South Somerset District Council says it's because disposable BBQs harm wildlife and are a fire risk. They're encouraging people to bring picnics instead.

Castle Cary's Post Office has reopened in a new location. It's now based in fruit and veg shop The Market Garden on Fore Street and will be open from Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. The old post office closed last week. Former postmaster, Jonathan Thomas, is moving back to Switzerland after running the Post Office in Castle Cary for 25 years.

The number of people attending Accident and Emergency at Yeovil Hospital is running at record levels. According to NHS England data, 5,224 people visited the department at the hospital last month with nine out of ten waiting up to four hours to be seen by medical staff. There was also increased demand on South Western Ambulance service. The service answered 108,449 emergency calls in July, the highest number since records began in August 2017.

The search is on for a new tenant to take over running of The Camelot in South Cadbury, near Yeovil. The lease on the 17th century Somerset pub is advertised with an asking price of £49,950.

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