Local News Thursday 14th August

Thursday, 15 August 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Businesses in Somerset are being warned about not asking for identification when selling age-restricted goods. The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs to raise a further £30,000 to keep its animals safe. Somerset has been ranked among the UK's best places to live...and more.

Businesses in Somerset are being warned about not asking for identification when selling age-restricted goods such as vapes, tobacco and alcohol. It follows the prosecution of a shopkeeper in Bridgwater, ordered to pay more than £3500 after being caught selling vapes to a 15-year-old girl. Trading Standards says shopkeepers who don’t follow the regulations are putting their livelihoods at risk.

Somerset has been ranked among the UK's best places to live. In a survey compiled by the property website, Home Views, the county was ranked the tenth best place to live in Britain. Home Views put the average house price in Somerset at £392,800, and the average rent at £1,350 per calendar month.

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs to raise a further £30,000 to keep its animals safe. Earlier in the year, the charity launched an appeal to raise £100,000 saying it was at risk of closure. £67,000 has been collected with another £33,000 needed to reach the target. The sanctuary provides a safe haven for 300 animals but says its running costs have risen substantially with veterinary bills alone costing £6,300 monthly.

A cider maker in Long Sutton has been shortlisted for a national prize. Harry's Cider is one of five producers to make to the finals in the Family Farming Business of the Year category of the British Farming Awards 2024 with the winner announced in October.

Police are looking for a woman with links to Cheddar who's wanted on recall to prison. Katie Nolan, 37, is also wanted on a court warrant. She's described as white, 5ft 1 and has shoulder-length brown hair.

The National Trust has opened new outdoor play areas at two properties in South Somerset. A hammock swing, rope traverse, and stepping logs have been introduced at Lytes Cary Manor while at Montecute House, a new slide and stepping logs have been installed, close to the picnic area, off West Drive.

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Thursday 19th September

Yeovil's MP Adam Dance has officially opened a new £30 million logistic hub at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil. Somerset Council says more parents are looking to move their children out of private schools and into state schools due to the addition of 20 percent VAT to private school fees. Star of TV’s Clarkson’s Farm, Kaleb Cooper, will be appearing at next month’s Yeovil Literary Festival...and more.
Wednesday 18th September

BT is reassuring customers in Somerset who are worried about the upcoming digital switchover for landline phones. Somerset Council could lose 13 percent of its elected members as part of an upcoming boundary review. Castle Cary has been named as the best place to live in the UK in an online poll...and more.
Tuesday 17th September

£400 million is being invested in research and development projects at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil. £29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years. A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure. A new procedure for treating varicose veins has made it possible for patients to leave hospital earlier... and more.
Monday 15th September

The public is being asked for its views on how the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station near Bridgwater should be decommissioned. The number of reported rape cases to Avon and Somerset Police in the last 12 months increased to just over 3,000. Asda in Yeovil is inviting donations of used children’s books as part of the supermarket's partnership with the Children's Book Project...and more
Friday 13th September

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to the Royal Navy officer from RNAS Yeovilton who died in a training accident last week. A public consultation is underway into plans to build a giant solar farm between Yeovil and Sherborne. A care home in Crewkerne has been celebrating the 100th birthday of one of its residents...and more.
Wednesday 12th September

Somerset Community Foundation says it is looking to find new ways to fund its Surviving Winter Campaign. The National Farmers' Union is warning that its ambition to make UK farming ‘net zero’ by 2040 is in doubt. A newly refurbished play park in Queen Camel is being officially opened today...and more.
Wednesday 11th September

Work building the new amphitheatre in Lower Middle Street in Yeovil won't be finished until late autumn. Plans have been submitted to build sixteen low-cost homes in Somerton. Dunelm has re-opened in Yeovil as a 'click and collect hub' after a fire destroyed its store in the Quedam Centre...and more.
Tuesday 10th September

A new school for children with special needs has opened at Ash on the outskirts of Yeovil. One hundred Ash trees in Ham Hill Country Park are to be felled due to Ash dieback disease. The South Western Ambulance Service is holding its Annual Members Meeting in Ilminster next week...and more.