Wednesday 27th September

    A Somerset head teacher is calling for tighter regulation on vaping after seeing a significant rise in pupils vaping on school premises. Somerset Council says it's facing significantly higher costs with the planned upgrade of Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. Avon and Somerset Police will soon start deploying a drone in the fight against rural crime...and more.

    A Somerset head teacher is calling for tighter regulation on vaping after seeing a significant rise in the number of his pupils vaping on school premises. Figures show that around one in five secondary school pupils have tried vaping. Mark Woodlock, Head of the Blue School in Wells, has sent an email to parents urging them to have conversations with their children about the dangers of vaping. 

    Somerset Council is seeking further financial support to pay for the planned upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The Council plans to spend twenty-nine million pounds on the upgrade that would see the Octagon virtually rebuilt with three hundred extra seats, a bigger stage, and two boutique cinemas. But with higher interest rates and increased building costs, it’s thought the final bill for the works will be significantly more than twenty-nine million. Somerset Council, which is facing a twenty-six million pound overspend in the current financial year, is reviewing all spending, including capital projects. Executive Members at the Council are due to discuss the Octagon project at a meeting on Wednesday, October 4th.

    People in Somerset are being asked about their experiences of accessing NHS dental care in a new survey. Healthwatch Somerset has launched the questionnaire in response to the shortage of NHS dentists in Somerset, and the high cost of obtaining private dental treatment. The survey is available on the Healthwatch Somerset website.

    Avon and Somerset Police will soon start deploying a drone in the fight against rural crime. It follows Wildlife Crime Officer, PC Stefan Edwards, gaining an Aeriel Vehicle Operators licence. PC Edwards is now able to pilot a drone to search for stolen machinery and equipment, while on patrol in the countryside.

    An Ilminster woman, Ingrid Bloomfield, is appealing for some free warehouse space to use for filling shoeboxes with Christmas gifts for sending to children in Ukraine. Ingrid is asking for someone to loan her between two and four thousand square feet of floor space within a ten-mile radius of Ilminster for her charity work. 

    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

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 4°C | Low: 2°C

    • Chard

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      High: 4°C | Low: 2°C

    • Crewkerne

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      High: 4°C | Low: 2°C

    • Somerton

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      High: 5°C | Low: 2°C

    • Wincanton

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      High: 4°C | Low: 2°C

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