Local News Friday 20th May

    A threat of closure that’s been hanging over Somerset’s minor injuries units has been lifted. More people than ever are working on the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Cyclists travelling across Chard could soon enjoy a much safer ride under plans to complete a coast-to-coast cycle route through the West Country. A new 'super' national nature reserve is being created on the Somerset Levels and Moors and a Somerset cider producer has teamed up with one of the world’s largest whisky brands to create a new alcoholic product.

    A threat of closure that’s been hanging over Somerset’s minor injuries units has been lifted. The county’s seven minor injuries units, including one in Chard, were due to shut and be replaced by the new GP community pharmacy service but in a statement, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, says the setting up of the new GP community pharmacy service will not lead to any MIU being closed down or replaced.

    More people than ever are working on the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. More than seven-and-a-half thousand workers are on-site and another one thousand will join them this year. It means plenty of jobs for Somerset but there are also concerns the project is pushing up the cost of renting or buying a home in the local area.

    Cyclists travelling across Chard could soon enjoy a much safer ride under plans to complete a coast-to-coast cycle route through the West Country. Sustrans cycle route 33, known as the Stop Line Way, runs for 75 miles from Weston-super-mare to Axminster, via Chard and Ilminster. South Somerset District Council area west committee has committed £12,000 to a new study to identify options for diverting the route off-road, which could be implemented by the new unitary Somerset Council that comes into being in April next year. The Stop Line Way is named after the Stop Taunton Line, built by the military in 1940 as a defence against a land invasion by German troops during the Second World War.

    A new 'super' national nature reserve is being created on the Somerset Levels and Moors. It's only the second one of its kind and will see more than six thousand hectares form the 'Somerset Wetlands'. Seven organisations will oversee the reserve. 

    A Somerset cider producer has teamed up with one of the world’s largest whisky brands to create a new alcoholic product. Somerset Cider Brandy Company at Kingsbury Episcopi has joined forces with Glenfiddich to produce a new apple whisky. 

    More from News

    • Thursday 17th April

      The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.

    • Wednesday 16th April

      Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more

    • Tuesday 15th April

      A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more

    • Monday 14th April

      A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more

    • Friday 11th April

      Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man riding an e-bike was injured and later died in hospital. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the number of false alarm calls it receives is on the increase. A new micro-pub opens in Chard next week...and more

    • Thursday 10th April 

      Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for more targeted support for schools in Somerset. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident near Wells in which a cyclist died. Plans have been approved to convert a former care home in Yeovil into a house of multiple occupation...and more

    • Wednesday 9th April

      A man from Yeovil has been jailed for stabbing another man in a pub in the town. Work is underway to help minimize the flood risk at Chard Reservoir. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-six new homes at Sparkford. A new Town Crier is needed in Glastonbury...and more

    • Tuesday 8th April

      Work is underway to demolish the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with drink driving for a third time. Somerset Council has paid £35,000 in compensation for failing to deliver the right support to children with special educational needs. Another shop in Yeovil town centre is closing for good today...and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 15°C | Low: 9°C

    • Wincanton

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 15°C | Low: 8°C

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