- Snow has closed two lanes on the M5 between J27 (Tiverton) and J28 (Cullompton) on New Year's Day - Highways England are working to grit the road

OUR Somerset From The Skies series continues this week with VIDEOS showing our county like you have never seen it before.

SOMERSET County Council's Clare Paul is giving up the booze for a month - and encouraging others to join her.

DEPUTY chief fire officer Joe Hassell, from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, gives an overview of 2020.

BLOOD, plasma and platelet donors in all Tiers are being urged by the NHS to keep attending appointments as normal if they are fit and healthy.

THE New Year is starting off with a bad deal with the EU, which was supposed to bring us prosperity and trade deals with the rest of the world.

MICHAEL Eavis has called on the public to get vaccinated against coronavirus so they can celebrate “Glastonbury style”, after receiving the jab himself on New Year’s Eve.

THE UK’s unemployment rate soared during 2020 as some of the country’s largest businesses were forced to lay off hundreds of thousands of staff, with some of the biggest casualties in the retail, hospitality and travel sectors.

BORIS Johnson has said the UK faces a “hard struggle” in the coming months but the country will bounce back from coronavirus in 2021.

THERE has been nearly 300 positive coronavirus cases confirmed in the last 24 hours.

A MAN was rescued by firefighters after a crash in Yeovil.

CHARITIES across Somerset helped Aldi to donate around 10,300 meals to people in need this Christmas Eve.

A MAN has been charged and is due to appear in court after a paramedic was assaulted while attending a call in a Somerset town.

'BE sensible and don’t breach the rules – we don’t want anyone to begin 2021 with a fine.'

MAY I add a few further comments about how privileged I felt working alongside Mayor Jean Hole for so many years.

THERE has been more than 800 positive coronavirus tests in the last four days, up to 5pm yesterday (December 30).

AN extremely rare black fox which once escaped onto the streets of Manchester has again gone on the run - bringing traffic to a standstill in Somerset.

THE PUBLIC is being urged to “take personal responsibility” by acting like they have coronavirus and staying at home this New Year’s Eve.

SOMERSET residents are urged to take care on local roads amid weather warnings for ice.

Somerset is to move into Tier 4 restrictions

A NUMBER of Somerset residents are part of this year's New Years Honours List. They join many famous faces such as Lewis Hamilton, Craig David, Sheila Hancock, Sally Dynevor, Nina Wadia and more.

SOMERSET is to move into Tier 4 restrictions as a surge in Covid-19 cases continues across the country.

PUPILS from a school in Somerset took part in an exhibition which has been displayed at The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil.

A COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca has been approved for use in the UK, paving the way for mass rollout.

RECENT cases dealt with by Taunton Magistrates' Court include:

THE coronavirus vaccine is set to be given to care home residents and staff in Somerset.

A POTENTIAL £23million investment for the arts in South Somerset is set to be debated in January.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a disturbance between a man and woman in a Yeovil car park.

HOSPITAL admissions for children with eating disorders have risen by almost a fifth in two years and by almost a third among all age groups, new figures show.

MORE than 26,000 meals were donated by Somerset shoppers to feed those in need this Christmas.

A GROUP of volunteers who helped during the Somerset floods in 2014 and lorry drivers in Kent are now helping flood victims hit by Storm Bella.

THE Met Office has issued snow warnings for parts of Somerset.

SNOW could hit Somerset just two days before we are set to see in the New Year, the Met Office has warned.

THERE has been more than 1,000 positive coronavirus tests in the last nine days, up to 5pm yesterday (December 27).

The RSPCA fears chickens are being abandoned after lots of people went out and bought chicks during lockdown and now can’t take care of them - particularly in light of bird flu warnings.

A WEATHER warning has been issued for Somerset - for snow and ice.

A WOMAN is in hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car on the M5 motorway in Somerset.

A SOMERSET vet was star of the show at a festive special of The Great British Bake Off.

HOW to keep your car and possessions safe this festive season with car thefts on the rise.

STUNNING photographs from a Somerset photographer reveal some of our county's most notable landmarks in ways we've never seen before.

THE majority of Somerset residents are today waking up to harsher coronavirus restrictions after new tier changes come into force.

A WOMAN at the very "heart of the village" has been thanked by the community.

GRITTING teams across Somerset are getting ready to spring into action to make sure Somerset's roads are safe for motorists.

STUNNING photographs from a Somerset photographer reveal some of our county's most notable landmarks in ways we've never seen before.

BELOW are the planning applications received by South Somerset District Council for the week of December 14, 2020.

Here's everything you need to know about Christmas and New Year opening times at all the major supermarkets.

CHRISTMAS Letter from your local architecture correspondent...

THE coronavirus pandemic has had a major effect on our country's economy and Somerset businesses have felt the strain. Hundreds of businesses across the county were forced to close their doors for months on end this year as Covid-19 hit the UK.

STUNNING photographs from a Somerset photographer reveal some of our county's most notable landmarks in ways we've never seen before.