Local News Tuesday 13th June

Tuesday, 13 June 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Chinnock Hollow which links East Chinnock and Odcombe is to stay shut permanently. An Ilminster man has been fined four hundred and sixty pounds for mistreating his pet dog. The Chairman of the National Farmers Union in Somerset says the warm weather is having a big impact. A 20 mph speed limit has been introduced outside Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard...and more.

Chinnock Hollow which links East Chinnock and Odcombe is to stay shut permanently. It was closed on a temporary basis two years ago following a landslide. An engineer's report has estimated it would cost two-point-seven-million pounds to re-open the road. Somerset Council says it cannot justify spending that amount of money when there are other pressing maintenance priorities on the road network in Somerset.

An Ilminster man has been fined four hundred and sixty pounds for mistreating his pet dog. Taunton Crown Court was told that Samuel Rigby of Riverside in Horton failed to provide adequate food to his Mastiff cross-breed dog and also failed to provide veterinary treatment for the dog’s weight loss. Rigby, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was also banned from owning a dog for two years.

The Chairman of the National Farmers Union in Somerset says the warm weather is having a big impact. Lindsay Isgar says farmers are having to use their winter feed because the grass has been affected by the heat and are worried about the damage the heat is doing to their crops.

People with Type-2 diabetes in Somerset are being invited to join a free NHS programme to lose weight. The ‘Path to Remission’ programme offers one year of support from trained coaches as well as three months of meal replacements like soups and shakes.

A 20-mph speed limit has been introduced outside Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard. It follows safety concerns over children crossing the busy Crowshute Link.

A man from Drayton, near Langport, is preparing to row seven hundred miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Giles Johnson will be heading for Northern Ireland when he sets off from Newfoundland later this month. He and his rowing partner Matthew Ponsonby have already raised ten thousand pounds for three charities.

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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