Local News Monday 4th April

Monday, 4 April 2022 06:00

Emily outside 10, Downing Street with her mum, Louise, and sister Grace.

A girl from Yeovil has helped deliver a petition to Downing Street calling on the government to recognise the problem of long Covid among children. Dorset Council says it could be eighteen months before the A30 at Kitt Hill in Sherborne is re-opened to traffic. A woman from Yeovil has died in a road traffic accident in the Scottish borders. The 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War is being marked this week...and more.

A girl from Yeovil has helped deliver a petition to Downing Street calling on the government to recognise the problem of long Covid among children. Emily, who’s nine, contracted the virus last September and must rely on a walking aid, to get around. Through the charity, Long Covid Kids, she’s asking the government to do more to help suffers. In response, the government has pledged fifty million pounds for research into the impact of long Covid.

Dorset Council says it could be eighteen months before the A30 at Kitt Hill in Sherborne is re-opened to traffic. The road was closed following a landslip in early September. The diversions put in place have caused long delays for drivers. On their website, Dorset Council says work to repair the damage at Kitt Hill might not be completed until September 2023.

A woman from Yeovil has died in a road traffic accident in the Scottish borders. Patricia Kim Common, aged 61, was killed when her vehicle collided with another vehicle on the A968 Kelso to Hawick road, on Saturday.

The 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War is being marked this week. Personnel from RNAS Yeovilton, flying helicopters built in Yeovil, played a big part in defeating the Argentinians in 1982. Commander of RNAS Yeovilton, Tim Gedge, says in the same way the conflict in the Falklands conflict resulted in tragic consequences, the same is now happening in Ukraine.

The holy month of Ramadan has started for Muslims in Somerset with Muslims fasting for the next four weeks. Meraz Aziz is from the Muslim Community in Somerset. He says Muslims are looking forward to marking Ramadan, without Covid restrictions.

Somerset's recycling centres will stay open for longer from this week. Summer opening hours are now in operation, 9 am to 6 pm weekdays and 9 am to 4 pm at weekends. Somerset Waste Partnership says Chard recycling centre has been equipped with online queue cameras, to help people to avoid busy times.

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Monday 10th February

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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