Residents in Somerset had the worst level of access to NHS dental treatment in England last year. Plans have been passed to build 300 new homes on the northern edge of Chard. Fourteen people have been arrested and 18 vehicles seized in five days of co-ordinated road policing operations by Avon and Somerset Police...and more
Residents in Somerset had the worst level of access to NHS dental treatment in England last year. The National Audit Office found 382 treatments were delivered per 1000 people, compared to 800 per 1000 people in South Yorkshire, which was the best-performing area in England. The NAO says the previous government's NHS dental recovery plan failed to restore NHS dental provision to pre-pandemic levels.
Plans have been passed to build 300 new homes - a third of which will be affordable - on the northern edge of Chard, including a new ground for Chard Town Football Club.
Sewer renovation work on West Street in Ilminster which has been causing traffic problems in the town centre is due to end tonight. Temporary traffic lights outside West Street Fish and Chips should be gone by midnight, with the road opening to traffic as normal. Work repairing Ilminster’s sewers will then move further along West Street next week.
Fourteen people have been arrested and 18 vehicles seized in five days of coordinated road policing operations by Avon and Somerset Police. It was held between the 11th and 15th of November, with further arrests made for other offences such as drug driving, prison recall, and vehicle theft. Police say 520 motorists were caught speeding and 23 were found driving without insurance.
Chard Reservoir Nature Reserve is to be provided with a new mobile classroom – thanks to a grant of £1500 given by Tesco. The mobile unit will be used to support environmental activities for local children at the reserve.
The A303 eastbound between Cartgate and Ilchester will be shut from 8 pm until 6 am tomorrow for white-lining work. Diversions will be in operation via the A3088, Watercombe Lane, the A30 and A37 re-joining the A303 at Ilchester.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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