county news

Dave HarveyWest of England business and environment correspondentBBCThe Somerset firm has become a world leader in producing date plantsPlant scientists at a world-leading firm that grows date palms in the UK hope to turn an Indian desert green as they open a new state-of-the-art lab.Although the British climate is too cold to grow the fruit, young date plants can be produced in climate-controlled labs and greenhouses.Date Palm Developments (DPD), near Glastonbury, Somerset, has been steadily expanding and now…

Matthew Hill,Health correspondent and Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley,West of EnglandBBCDarren Ashton-Lake says the NHS will not pay for a new "life changing" drugA man living with a rare genetic disorder says hope is being taken away because the drug he needs is not available in the UK.Darren Ashton-Lake, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) as a teenager 15 years ago - a condition which progressively damages the nervous system.The drug which helps slow down the disease,…

An oil spill which closed a busy route has forced two dogs (and their owner) to find an alternative route to their vets appointment.The A39 in Washford, Somerset, was closed on Tuesday after a van and lorry collided and emergency services worked to contain a fuel leak.Instead of battling the busy, narrow, twisting back roads on the outskirts of Exmoor to visit the vets in Minehead, Christopher Wade decided to hop on the heritage steam railway to complete…