Monday 5th August

Monday, 5 August 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A woman motorist, convicted of drug driving and causing the deaths of two people on the A303 near Wincanton, has been jailed. Yeovil Hospital has been criticised for what it charges visitors to park on the hospital site. A woman in Chiselborough is participating this week in the Global 6K Walk for Water challenges...and more.

A woman motorist, convicted of drug driving and causing the deaths of two people on the A303 near Wincanton, has been jailed for three and a half years. Thelma Huse and Tony Mist both died after a Mercedes driven by Jessica Higgs struck their Fiat 500. Appearing at Taunton Crown Court, Higgs of Imber Road in Warminster, was also banned from driving for six years and eight months. In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said the accident was yet another painful reminder that driving under the influence of drugs is a deadly decision that puts innocent road users at serious risk.

Yeovil Hospital has been criticised for what it charges visitors to park on the hospital site. It follows a Freedom of Information request by the Royal College of Nursing that showed Yeovil Hospital collected £40,300 in parking charges last year from motorists using the multi-storey car park, opposite the main hospital building. Speaking at a meeting of the NHS Somerset integrated care board, Ray Tostevin, a Yeovil and District Trades Union Council member, called for parking charges at Yeovil Hospital to be reduced, and eventually abolished.

A Somerset woman has swum the English Channel from Dover to France raising money for Yeovil Hospital. Hannah Litchfield completed the crossing in 12 hours and four minutes and raised £1,500.

A best scarecrow competition is taking place in the village of Barrington with rivalry between homeowners to win first prize. Scarecrows on display include Woody from Toy Story, Spiderman, and Beefy Botham.

A woman in Chiselborough is taking part in the Global 6K Walk for Water challenge. Hannah Lefeuvre is walking 6 kilometres every day this week, helping to bring clean water to vulnerable children and their communities. Hannah has so far raised £500 for World Vision UK who organise the Global 6K Walk for Water challenge.

More from News

Wednesday 24th December

A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.
Tuesday 23rd December

NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.
Monday 22nd December

Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.
Friday 19th December

Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.
Thursday 18th December

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more
Wednesday 17th December

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more
Tuesday 14th December

New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.
Monday 15th December

Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more