Thursday 5th December

Thursday, 5 December 2024 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Attacks on local ambulance crews have more than doubled in the past five years. The trial has begun of two Yeovil men, charged with murdering a neighbour. Somerset Council is due to make a decision early in the New Year on controversial plans to build 47 new homes at Horton, near Ilminster...and more.

According to data from the South West Ambulance Service, attacks on local ambulance crews have more than doubled in the past five years. The latest figures for 2023 recorded more than 3200 incidents which is the highest number for any ambulance service in the country.

The trial has begun of two Yeovil men, charged with murdering a neighbour in a row over rubbish. Martin Carty of Raglan Terrace and Mark Sothcott of Stiby Road are accused of killing Franklin Ingram at Mr Carty’s flat. Taunton Crown Court was told the attack, in June earlier this year, took place after Mr Ingram had complained about Mr Carty sweeping up rubbish and leaving it outside his flat. Both defendants deny murder, and the trial continues. (story courtesy of BBC Somerset).

Somerset Council is due to make a decision in the New Year on controversial plans to build new homes at Horton, near Ilminster. Developers, Blue Spruce Properties Ltd, have applied to build 47 homes on land between Paulls Lane and Pound Road in Horton, close to the western edge of Broadway. The application is facing opposition from local residents who claim Broadway is already overdeveloped.

EDF says it plans to start generating power from the newly installed nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point C by the end of the decade. Hinkley Point C is the first nuclear power station to be built in Britain for 30 years.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says the government needs to 'wake up' on housing - not just by tackling the housing shortage but the shortage of skills needed to build the 1.5 million new homes over the next five years that the government has promised. Mr Dance says not only is the Labour government’s target over-ambitious but there aren’t enough people being trained as builders or planning staff available within local councils to handle the work.

Three of our local carnival clubs are celebrating after collecting top awards at the Somerset County Presentation. Rubilo Juvenile Carnival Club won both the Somerset County Juvenile Champions 2024 prize and the Most Original Juvenile Entry Champions 2024 prize. Jack Carnival Club clinched the title of Somerset County Single Adult Masquerader Champion. Little R was crowned Somerset County Single Juvenile Masquerader Champion.

Station Road in Ilminster will close tonight and for the next six nights.This is to allow the road to be resurfaced. It will shut between 6.30 and 11.30 each night until next Tuesday, December 10th.

More from News

Wednesday 12th March

A charity in Somerset is appealing for support after one of its sites was vandalised. The Leader of Somerset Council has been to Westminster to put the case for central government to provide councils with more money. A new primary school is to built in Chard.... and more
Tuesday 11th March

The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been fully restored after becoming difficult to ring ... and more
Monday 10th March

A property in Raglan Terrace in Yeovil has been closed down by a court order after it was linked to anti-social behaviour. NHS Somerset says investing in nurse apprenticeships has helped to boost recruitment. A new community garden has opened in Chard.... and more
Friday 7th March

The Leader of Somerset Council has repeated his call for a reform of the way that councils are funded. Crimestoppers is stepping up efforts to help tackle violent crime in Somerset. A new radar satellite is playing a crucial role in collecting data about flooding in Somerset...and more
Thursday 6th March

Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more
Wednesday 5th March

Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. A Somerset charity says it needs more volunteers to help with research into new treatments for dementia. A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm...and more.
Tuesday 4th March

The population of Somerset has reached record levels with nearly one in ten born outside the UK. Stanchester School in Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been rated as ‘requiring improvement’. Experts have been called in to appraise a 15th-century piece of artwork in Sherborne...and more.
Monday 3rd March

A woman from Crewkerne has been fined £280 for assaulting two emergency workers. Plans have been announced to open new NHS dental surgeries in Chard and Crewkerne. A Yeovil man has been thanked for raising £10,000 for the cardiac charity Heartbeat...and more