Local News Friday 7th July

Friday, 7 July 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

People in South Somerset whose homes and businesses were hit with flash floods may not have to pay any council tax for the rest of the year. A Somerset man has been sentenced for his part in digging up a fox and throwing it to a pack of hounds. Ticket offices at all of Somerset's railway stations will close by the end of next year if plans by train companies go ahead...and more.

People in South Somerset whose homes and businesses were hit by flash floods may not have to pay any council tax for the rest of the year. A major incident was declared on May 9th when heavy rain caused flooding in North Cadbury, Queen Camel and surrounding villages. Somerset Council has announced a support scheme for those affected, allowing people to waive their council tax for up to one year. Residents and business owners who vacated their homes and premises for more than three consecutive days will receive one hundred per cent relief on their council tax bills.

Avon and Somerset Police are claiming success following a major clampdown on organised drugs gangs. The force says ‘Operation Scorpio’ resulted in three-hundred-and-twenty-five million pounds worth of cannabis being seized, and twenty people linked to the cultivation of the drug arrested, including in South Somerset.

Ticket offices at all of Somerset's railway stations will close by the end of next year if plans by train companies go ahead. Unions have described the proposals as catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers. From Great Western Railway, Dan Panes says keeping ticket offices open doesn't make sense when so many people buy their tickets online.

A Somerset man has been sentenced for his part in digging up a fox and throwing it to a pack of hounds. Aaron Fookes of Townsend Green in Henstridge had previously pleaded guilty to fox hunting and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. Fookes was fined eight-hundred-and-thirty-three pounds, given an eighteen-month community order and told to complete two hundred hours of unpaid work when he appeared for sentencing before magistrates in Swindon.

The company behind a proposed solar farm near Crewkerne is holding a series of public consultations. Greentech is inviting the views of local residents on plans to build a solar farm on fifty-seven acres of farmland off Chard Lane at Wayford. The plans can be viewed at Clapton and Wayford Village Hall next Wednesday, July 12th, and the following Tuesday and Wednesday, July 18th and 19th.

More from News

Monday 10th February

A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more
Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
Wednesday 5th February

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.
Tuesday 4th February

Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.
Monday 3rd February

Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.
Friday 31st January

A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more
Thursday 30th January

Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more