The Department for Transport is inviting the public’s views on its future rural transport strategy and wants to hear from as many people as possible.

You can have your say at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-transport-rural-strategy-call-for-evidence.

Following the announcement of the five day Christmas travel period, we thought it would be helpful to let you know about our Christmas and New Year services.

Services will run normally on 23 December. On Christmas Eve late afternoon and evening services will be amended to prepare for our usual closure on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

On Christmas Day Network Rail Western will start work on two major improvement projects for the West of England.  They will install a new signal gantry at Bristol East in preparation for the replacement and remodelling of Bristol East junction. This is critical for the introduction of MetroWest services.  Replacing the old junction will also improve performance reducing delays and minimising the length of disruptions.  This is a very major piece of engineering and work will continue through the year, with the full replacement and remodelling of the junction over the summer.

In addition, work will start on Christmas Day on the restoration of Bristol Temple Meads station roof and rewiring. Scaffolding will be installed which will close platforms 3 to 6.  As well as restoring the roof, including the architectural stonework, the station improvement work will include a new eastern entrance.  The restoration is due to be completed by early 2023.  There are more details on our website on https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/bristol

The impact of the work on rail services is limited. There will however be buses on some local routes on Sunday 27 December. Trains continue to run on other routes, but will operate to an amended timetable.   Amended timetables will then operate on all routes via Bristol Temple Meads from Monday 28 December to Sunday 10 January.

We are reminding customer to check their journeys before travel on www.gwr.com and we are asking that tickets are booked in advance.   We have a dedicated webpage with information to help customers travel with confidence on For  https://www.gwr.com/safety

We will be very happy to help with any questions about the Christmas work or the plans for the station or the junction, and please do feel free to share the details of the Christmas work with others.  We want to do all we can to help those who are travelling this year to do so safely and comfortably.

Citizens Advice Sedgemoor are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online. Over 4,000 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself!

These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us. It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment.

You can find our easyfundraising page at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/citizensadvicesedgemoor/?utm_campaign=raise-more&utm_content=gs-e1

Trading standards is advising online consumers in Devon, Somerset and Torbay to only buy from ‘reputable’ traders, and to refer to a new advice video if they experience any problems.

The new advice video has been commissioned by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) ahead of ‘Black Friday’ (Friday 27 November) and ‘Cyber Monday’, (Monday 30 November), the two big pre-Christmas shopping days this month.

The COVID-19 lockdowns have led to a rise in consumer spending online and 87 per cent of UK consumers are estimated to have purchased a product online.

The public spends around £2bn a week on online purchases.

However, according to Citizens Advice Consumer Service the sharp increase in online spending has also led to a near doubling of complaints.

People are having a range of problems when shopping online, including issues relating to scams and defective goods, and concerns about parcel delivery.

There will also likely be a record number of electrical products purchased online this year, and Electrical Safety First warn that consumers should be extra vigilant when it comes to these kinds of products.

Janet Quinn of Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards, said: “With Black Friday next week and the Christmas shopping rush approaching, it has never been more crucial for the public to understand their consumer rights and the responsibilities of online retailers.
“The internet can provide buyers with great opportunities in terms of choice and convenience. However, at the same time, they must be wary and only buy from reliable sources to ensure quality and safety. Sub-standard electrical products can be hazardous, and Trading Standards advice to shoppers is to do their homework before buying; check a trader out online and read any reviews. If you’re not fully satisfied, don’t buy from them.”

You can find the Citizens Advice Consumer page here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/

The public can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.