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Notices

Roadworks Tower Hill/High Street Stogursey 24th March 2021

Tower Hill and High Street Stogursey are to be closed on the morning of Wednesday 24th March 2021 from 09.30 to allow the completion of the cable laying work started earlier in the month. Diversions will be signed but access for residents and business deliveries will be allowed.

Barden Networks have assured Somerset County Highways that they will ensure the safety of all road users during the work. Residents access will be allowed and they hope to have finished by lunchtime.

If you have any concerns please contact the contractors on 01454 281627.

One year on – a day to reflect and remember – 23rd March 2021

One year on – a day to reflect and remember

A minute’s silence will be held by Somerset County Council to mark a National Day of Reflection, remembering those who sadly lost their lives during the pandemic and to show support for everyone who has been bereaved.
Initiated by end of life charity Marie Curie, the National Day of Reflection is due to take place on Tuesday 23 March – the anniversary of the UK going into the first national lockdown.
The flag at County Hall will also fly at half-mast as a sign of respect for all those taken before their time by Covid-19 and for the bereaved they have left behind. County Hall will be lit up in blue and green in the evening to honour the emergency services.
An online ‘Covid reflection’ page has been made available for members of the public to share their own personal reflection messages – which will remain as a permanent reminder of the last year.
Anyone who wishes to take part and would like to add their own reflection message, photo or poem to the ‘Covid reflection’ memorial page can do so by emailing communications@somerset.gov.uk. Messages may also be shared via the County Council’s social media channels on the day.

Register in time to have your say

On Thursday 6 May 2021 residents in Somerset West and Taunton will have their say on who represents them at the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner election. Residents must be on the electoral register in order to vote for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) who oversees the local police force and ensures they are prioritising what matters to you.

Somerset West and Taunton Council is urging people who have not registered at their current address to make sure they are registered in time. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 19 April.

It takes just five minutes to apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. If you’re not registered by 19 April, you won’t be able to vote.

Somerset latest Covid 19 figures and guidance

Somerset’s seven-day infection rate has decreased from last week’s rate of 49.3 and now stands at 38.8 new cases per 100,000 (11th March 2021).

In the latest week, approximately 55,000 tests were carried out across the county and there have been 218 new confirmed cases.
The link below shows the Somerset Dashboard which tracks our local epidemic from the start in March, to the current time:
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/covid-19-dashboard/

Workplaces: All businesses in England are now able to sign up to the Government’s free Covid-19 workplace testing programme, including those with fewer than 50 employees (this was previously restricted to 50 or more employees).
Businesses can register to order tests if the business is registered in England and its employees cannot work from home. Businesses must register on or before 31 March 2021 to get the forms they will need to order free lateral flow tests to test employees in the workplace here. Guidance for employers running testing programmes can be found here.
We continue to see outbreaks occurring as people socialise in and around the workplace (where people cannot work from home) and unfortunately, are still seeing a number of outbreaks in the food sector. We are continuing to provide these settings with Public Health advice, support and guidance on prevention measures.

However, it is not just the food sector where transmission is occurring between colleagues. While we may be conscious of the need to socially distance, wear a mask etc when at work in formal settings, it is easy to relax and forget these measures in the company of colleagues in a staff room and inadvertently pass on the virus to them. We have produced a number of graphics showing this scenario that have been shared with businesses and will be re-shared on our social media channels in the coming weeks, to reinforce the importance of keeping up infection control measures even in informal settings such as lunch breaks.

Some common factors being seen across settings that are experiencing outbreaks include people car-sharing. Please help us to spread the message that currently, car sharing is not permitted with anyone from outside your household or support bubble unless your journey is undertaken for an exempt reason such as work. Where it is essential to car share, you can reduce the risk of transmission by:

• sharing the transport with the same people each time
• minimising the group size at any one time
• opening windows for ventilation
• travelling side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow
• facing away from each other
• considering seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle
• cleaning your car between journeys using standard cleaning products – make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch
• asking the driver and passengers to wear a face covering

For more information on car sharing visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#car-sharing

Please don’t feed the Ponies

Quantock Farmers ask ‘Please do not feed the ponies’

Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic there has been an increase in people feeding the ponies on the open hilltops of the Quantocks.  These ponies thrive on the grasses, heathers and plants on the hilltops and do not need extra food.

Some horses have special dietary considerations and can be intolerant to foods such as carrots and apples and cannot have too much sugar.  Giving them “sweets and treats” can result in stomach ulcers, which are very painful, and colic which can kill them.  Many fruit and vegetables may seem like “healthy” or “normal” horse treats, but they are not suitable for many horses including the ponies which graze the Quantocks.

As many of these ponies roam wild over the open hills people are unable to know how many “treats” they have been fed and people are making the mistake of saying “just one won’t hurt”.  A further issue of feeding the ponies is that they associate people and cars with food. They become more tolerant and will actively approach people and cars which increases the risk of people being bitten or kicked or the ponies being injured by vehicle collisions.

Ranger Andy Stevenson said, “Although they are beautiful to look at, the ponies are pretty wild and certainly not pets so keeping a little distance from them and appreciating them from a far is the best for everybody’s wellbeing”.

Ponies on the Quantock Hills:

  • Quantock Common is a large block, over 1,800Ha, of unenclosed heath and woodland on the hilltops of the Quantock Hills. It is a special habitat and is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Quantock Common is managed by the active Commoners (local farmers who have rights of Common), landowners and the AONB Service. Part of the required management is grazing by sheep, ponies and cattle. This mix of grazing promotes the different heathland species such as heathers and bilberry.
  • The majority of ponies that graze the unenclosed hilltops of Quantock Common are owned by farmers / landowners who have rights of common to graze animals on the common.
  • The farmers / landowners are known as ‘Commoners’ as they are exercising their rights of common. They regularly inspect the ponies and any issues reported to the AONB Service are passed onto the relevant farmer / landowner to rectify.
  • If people see a pony they believe is in distress or hurt they can report it to the AONB Service, who will ensure it is communicated to the most appropriate farmer / landowner.
  • Other locations also have grazing stock such as Lydeard Hill and Cothelstone Hill. These are not commons and the ponies that graze these hills are owned by the landowners.