Local News Thursday 21st April

Thursday, 21 April 2022 06:00

Egg producers in Somerset are warning of shortages because of soaring costs. It’s costing more than half-a-million pounds every year for police to enforce the badger cull in Somerset. Somerset’s Public Health team is again urging older and more vulnerable people to take up the offer of a free, further Covid-19 booster jab. Academics from the University of Reading are appealing to apple tree owners in Somerset to take part in a research project and Somerset jockey, Bryony Frost, is facing a spell on the sidelines and is unsure when she will return to competition, after suffering a fall on th

Egg producers in Somerset are warning of shortages because of soaring costs. Their trade body, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, is asking supermarkets to raise prices, otherwise, they'll have to limit production. They say the cost of feeding hens had risen by fifty percent and energy costs by forty percent.

It’s costing more than half-a-million pounds every year for police to enforce the badger cull in Somerset, aimed at slowing the spread of bovine tuberculosis. Figures show it cost more than £540,000 to enforce the cull in Somerset in 2021 and that more than £5.6million has been spent in total since the cull was introduced in 2013. Campaigners have called for an end to the cull, describing it as poor value for money, and ineffective at combating the spread of TB.

Somerset’s Public Health team is again urging older and more vulnerable people to take up the offer of a free, further Covid-19 booster jab. People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes, and those aged 12 and over with weakened immune systems, are being offered a Spring booster of the coronavirus vaccine. For the latest information on Covid-19 testing, vaccinations, support, and guidance, go to the Somerset County Council website.

Academics from the University of Reading are appealing to apple tree owners in Somerset to take part in a research project. They say samples taken from apple trees show the extent of damage caused by climate change, and the impact it has on pollinators.

Somerset jockey, Bryony Frost, is facing a spell on the sidelines and is unsure when she will return to competition, after suffering a fall on the opening day of the Grand National meeting. The 27-year-old was riding the Paul Nicholls trained ‘Thyme White’ when she fell in the Red Rum Handicap Chase. Scans have shown she fractured vertebrae and injured her shoulder.

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Thursday 13th March

A new campaign has been launched to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Cruffs....and more.
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.