News in Shepton Mallet

Only one of Shepton Mallet's pharmacies will be open over the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

According to the official list provided by NHS England, the Boots Pharmacy at Park Medical Practice and Evercreech Pharmacy will both be closed tomorrow (Sunday May 24) and on Bank Holiday Monday (May 25).

An optician in Shepton Mallet High Street is stepping up preparations to fully reopen next month, after looking out for key workers during the coronavirus crisis.

Christopher Young Opticians are hoping to open for simple retail operations in June, but in the meantime have been busy with sight emergencies and providing glasses for key workers during lockdown.

Mendip District Council has confirmed that investigations are ongoing into the cause of an odour from the former Greencore site in Evercreech.

An allegation of odour nuisance was reported to the council, so officers visited the site and were satisfied that residual materials from the former milk products manufacturer were responsible.

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm following an incident in Shepton Mallet yesterday (Wednesday May 20).

Avon and Somerset Police were called to attend a disturbance in the Hillmead area at about 5pm in which a firearm was reportedly seen, but not discharged. Armed officers attended and searched a property but no-one was inside.

Firearms officers were called to Hillmead in Shepton Mallet this evening (May 20) following reports of a dispute where a weapon was reported to have been seen.

The police helicopter was also called to hover over the town as back-up following the reports to the police at around 5pm.

A planning application to build a swimming pool at the Mendip School in Prestleigh has been given the go-ahead.

The application for the erection of a swimming pool at the Mendip School, Edmund Rack Road, Prestleigh, by Emily Massey has been approved by Mendip District Council.

The organisers of the Glastonbury Festival have warned the public to not visit the Worthy Farm site in Pilton during lockdown.

In a statement, the festival organisers have said that they do not want visitors to the working farm, and that people who try and visit will be asked to leave.

Schools in the Shepton Mallet area are being offered free installation of health protection equipment by principal building contractor Melhuish and Saunders.

The construction sites of Melhuish and Saunders, who are based in Glastonbury, are all open and making progress on current building projects for various sectors including health and education.

The Mendip Business Awards 2020 have been cancelled due to the coronavirus emergency.

The award ceremony was due to take place at the Bath and West Showground, near Shepton Mallet, on May 27.

Despite the recent easing of restrictions, we remain deep into the coronavirus lockdown, and Shepton Mallet residents are doing their bit to make sure the spread of Covid-19 is kept to a minimum.

In a bid to get things back to normality, local businesses in Shepton Mallet are calling for more clarity from the government to help them through the crisis.