somerset

Second deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

Second deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

A former police station and magistrates' court building is thought to have been targeted by arsonists for the second time in a week, according to emergency services.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the blaze at the disused building on Heavitree Road, in Exeter, at 21:42 GMT on Thursday where two fires were found in different parts of the property. A fire at the same building took place on Monday night.The service said…

Continue ReadingSecond deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

Somerset family struggling as three members have ME

Somerset family struggling as three members have ME

Ruth BradleyPolitics reporter, BBC SomersetJulie HeathJon developed ME in his early 40s with his wife giving up her career to help care for him.Just under 10 years ago, Julie Heath's husband Jon suffered blow to his head in a car crash. "He has never recovered from it," she said.Mr Heath went on to be diagnosed with ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The couple's two children were also diagnosed with ME in the years that followed, and…

Continue ReadingSomerset family struggling as three members have ME

Somerset family’s flu vaccine plea after 2024 Christmas ‘ruined’

Somerset family’s flu vaccine plea after 2024 Christmas ‘ruined’

Ross Pollard,West of England, Taunton and Beth Cruse,West of EnglandBBCRebecca and her daughter Astrid became very unwell with flu last yearA family who said their Christmas was "ruined" by flu are urging others to get their vaccine to avoid being hospitalised.Rebecca Pettitt, from Taunton, Somerset, caught flu from her daughter Astrid last Christmas and passed it onto her elderly mother, who then spent five weeks in hospital.The NHS in Somerset is urging eligible people to get their vaccine…

Continue ReadingSomerset family’s flu vaccine plea after 2024 Christmas ‘ruined’

Wet winter needed to avoid 2026 drought says Environment Agency

Wet winter needed to avoid 2026 drought says Environment Agency

Joe SkirkowskiWest of EnglandPA MediaChew Valley Lake is one of many reservoirs left depleted after the spring and summerThe Environment Agency (EA) has warned that multiple counties in the West face the risk of drought next summer if this winter is drier than usual.According to a report by the agency the Wessex area, which includes Somerset, Wiltshire, Bristol and Dorset, is in a period of "prolonged dry weather" and could face drought in 2026 if it sees below…

Continue ReadingWet winter needed to avoid 2026 drought says Environment Agency

Dunball roundabout reopens to ease Bridgwater’s traffic

Dunball roundabout reopens to ease Bridgwater’s traffic

An upgraded roundabout which caused months of traffic delays has been reopened after a full year of works.The £10.7m project at the Dunball roundabout in Bridgwater, Somerset, which links junction 23 of the M5 to the town, started in November 2024.A year later, it has reopened and Somerset Council said its teams would stay on site over the next few weeks to ensure the junction works.The council added: "[It] has been delivered on time and on budget. We're…

Continue ReadingDunball roundabout reopens to ease Bridgwater’s traffic

Pancreatic Cancer warning as family ‘blindsided’ by man’s death

Pancreatic Cancer warning as family ‘blindsided’ by man’s death

Beth CruseWest of EnglandEmmie KayEmmie Kay said she had just six days with her grandad after his diagnosisA woman says she was left "blindsided" when her grandad died from cancer just six days after his diagnosis.Emmie Kay, from Bridgwater in Somerset, has shared her story ahead of taking on a 100km (62-mile) challenge to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK.Ms Kay said her grandad Jim seemed to be in good health before his diagnosis, but he died just…

Continue ReadingPancreatic Cancer warning as family ‘blindsided’ by man’s death

Glastonbury mural gives 94-year-old woman ‘dream garden’

Glastonbury mural gives 94-year-old woman ‘dream garden’

A 94-year-old woman says a huge mural painted on the side of her house gives her a "dream garden" that she "doesn't need to look after".Muriel Baker, from Meare near Glastonbury in Somerset, had her wall transformed into a countryside scene.She cannot manage the weeding or watering needed for a garden, but this option lets her feel as though she's sitting in one while enjoying a coffee or tea, she added.It is the second mural she has had…

Continue ReadingGlastonbury mural gives 94-year-old woman ‘dream garden’

Care organisations in Somerset given £616k funding boost

Care organisations in Somerset given £616k funding boost

Community projects which help people find care and support networks close to their home have been awarded £616,000 of government funding.The Somerset Cares Alliance is a new collective of organisations across the county aiming to improve the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of adult social care.Jacky King who set up Wincanton Cares, which is part of the new alliance, said the funding was a "really fantastic opportunity to get projects off the ground".Somerset Council won the funding from the…

Continue ReadingCare organisations in Somerset given £616k funding boost

Allied Pharmacies take over dozens of Jhoots branches

Allied Pharmacies take over dozens of Jhoots branches

Dawn Limbu, Sarah Turnnidge and Carys Nally,West of England BBCAllied Pharmacies has taken over 60 former Jhoots branchesDozens of pharmacies which had been repeatedly and unexpectedly closed have been taken over by a different firm.There were calls for some Jhoots pharmacies to lose their NHS rights and be shut down amid claims its locum workers were owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid wages.The affected branches also faced allegations of operational failures including a failure to maintain…

Continue ReadingAllied Pharmacies take over dozens of Jhoots branches

Animal Farm Adventure Park fire deaths leave owners ‘devastated’

Animal Farm Adventure Park fire deaths leave owners ‘devastated’

Dan Ayers,Somerset and Dawn Limbu,West of EnglandBBCAnimal Farm Adventure Park is a family-owned business which has been open since 2009Owners of a family farm attraction say the loss of some of their animals in a fire has left them feeling "shocked and devastated". The blaze broke out at the Animal Farm Adventure Park in Berrow, near Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, at 15:37 GMT on Tuesday.Firefighters worked to tackle the blaze until 20:00 on Tuesday evening, but the fire destroyed…

Continue ReadingAnimal Farm Adventure Park fire deaths leave owners ‘devastated’

Hundreds of jobs at risk amid Swallowfield closure

Hundreds of jobs at risk amid Swallowfield closure

Sarah Turnnidge,West of England and Dan Ayers,BBC Radio SomersetBBCMore than 250 people work at the cosmetics factory A cosmetics factory in Somerset is set to close, putting more than 250 jobs at risk. KDC/One, one of Wellington's biggest employers, announced a proposal to close its Swallowfield site in the town earlier.A spokesperson for the company said it had made the "difficult decision" to move work carried out at the factory to another site in Irvine, Scotland. The firm…

Continue ReadingHundreds of jobs at risk amid Swallowfield closure