Tuesday 27th February

Tuesday, 27 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council says CCTV across the County is to stay operating for at least another year. A Castle Cary man has collected 1600 names on a petition opposing plans to close the Dimmer waste recycling centre. A rugby player who struck an opposing player in the face during a match played in Sherborne has appeared in court charged with grievous bodily harm...and more

Somerset Council says the county’s network of CCTV cameras will stay operating for at least another year after town and parish councils offered to help fund the service. CCTV has been under threat after Somerset Council said it could no longer afford to subsidise the network. Some town and parish councils, however, are yet to decide if they will pay to keep CCTV going.

A Castle Cary man has collected 1600 names on a petition opposing plans to close the Dimmer waste recycling centre. Drew Thompson claims closing Dimmer will increase fly tipping around Castle Cary, which contradicts Somerset Council’s stated aim of wanting a ‘greener and more sustainable’ Somerset. Crewkerne waste recycling centre is also on a list of five centres in Somerset at risk of closure as part of efforts at Somerset Council to cut spending by £100 million.

Patients in Somerset are being warned to check if their hospital appointment is affected by the ongoing strike action by junior doctors. Junior doctors have walked out again today on the fourth of a five-day stoppage in support of a 35 per cent pay demand. Yeovil Hospital and Taunton's Musgrove Park are the two hospitals in Somerset affected by the strike.

A rugby player who struck an opposing player in a match played in Sherborne has appeared in court charged with grievous bodily harm. Jack Richards was playing for Wellington RFC against Sherborne RFC at the Terraces when he hit opposing player Jamie Davidson causing damage to one of his eyes. Appearing before magistrates in Weymouth, Richards pleaded guilty to the offence and was sent to Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing.

Somerset has been named as the worst area in the South West for domestic abuse. Research by Personal Injury Claims UK claims that around 60 abuse crimes occurred every day between November 2022 and October 2023 in the Avon and Somerset area. Sixty-eight per cent of victims were female, with twenty-six per cent male. Six per cent of victims had other gender definitions or their gender was unknown.

A hearing dog has been credited with helping a Somerset Paralympic hopeful, as she prepares for this summer's games in Paris. Swimmer, Suzanna Hext, was paralysed from the waist down in 2012. She's since also completely lost her hearing but says her confidence has improved dramatically, thanks to her hearing dog, Kimmy, who accompanies her everywhere, including training sessions.

The campaign group, Green Ilminster, has announced the date of its next annual meeting. It’ll be held at the Dolphin in Ilminster on Tuesday, March 5th starting at 6.30 pm and is open to all to attend.

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