Friday 13th November

Friday, 13 November 2026 at 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Wessex Water has applied for a drought order. Outreach teams are working across Somerset to help get rough sleepers off the streets during the cold snap. Somerset wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker has retired after 24 years... and more

Wessex Water has applied for a drought order, warning of a serious threat to water supplies following a prolonged lack of rainfall. If approved, the order would restrict non-essential water use by businesses, including hosepipe cleaning, watering plants and filling swimming pools. The measures would come on top of the hosepipe ban already in place for domestic customers since August the eighteenth.

Outreach teams across Somerset are working to help get rough sleepers off the streets during the cold snap. Somerset Council has activated it's severe weather emergency protocols to prevent any homeless person from dying in the freezing temperatures.

Numerous sightings of Starling murmerations have been reported on the Somerset's Levels even though starlings are in decline. Gloucestershire University is carrying out a study into Starlings behaviour. Lead researcher, Professor Anne Goodenough says not enough is known about their flying habits.

Somerset Council is asking residents for views on the future funding of two services supporting vulnerable families and individuals. The consultations cover Safe Families and the Rise service, delivered by The Nelson Trust. The council wants feedback on the benefits of continued funding, the impact of ending support, and possible alternatives. Both consultations close on Monday, December 17th.

Somerset wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker has retired after 24 years and three paralympic medals. Lucy represented Great Britain at five consecutive Paralympics winning silver and bronze in the women’s doubles and was also nine-time Grand Slam finalist and seven-time World Team Cup medallist.

More from News

Thursday 12th November

Somerset’s gritters are on standby as temperatures fall below freezing in parts of the county. A major restoration project at Montacute House near Yeovil is nearing completion. Two pubs in our area have been named among the UK's top 100 in the latest Good Food Guide rankings... and more
Wednesday 11th November

Two-thirds of police officers at Avon and Somerset Police say they're often too fatigued to carry out their duties. A local councillor is calling for more female-only accommodation to be provided to help end rough sleeping. Somerset’s motorway service stations have been ranked among some of the worst in the country... and more
Tuesday 10th November

Somerset’s housing target could be cut by almost 15,000 homes. More than half a million pounds in Arts Council funding to Taunton’s Brewhouse Theatre has been handed back. People in Somerset with type 2 diabetes are being invited to join a new research study... and more
Monday 9th November

Facial recognition cameras are to be used by police in Somerset for the first time. Badger culling against bovine TB has officially ended in Somerset. The 5-star Summer Lodge Hotel in Evershot has a new owner...and more
Friday 6th November

Up to 70 jobs could go at the Leonardo helicopter factory in Yeovil. Police are investigating a fire at the former Pittard factory in Yeovil. Families on low incomes are being offered tickets at just £3 to this year’s Yeovil pantomime...and more
Thursday 5th November

South West Water says reservoir levels in Somerset are starting to recover after recent heavy rainfall. Castle Cary railway station is to get a new footbridge. A young dancer from Martock has been chosen to perform with the English Youth Ballet... and more
Wednesday 4th November

People in Somerset will go to the polls in May 2028 to elect a new mayor for the Wessex region. A Somerset farmer who failed a breath test after being caught asleep at the wheel of his tractor has narrowly avoided losing his driving licence. The new Ham Hill Visitor Centre has been named a regional winner in the Building Excellence Awards 2026... and more
tuesday 3rd November

Somerset Council says it doesn’t have the money to improve its planning enforcement team. Drivers are being advised that work to replace the central barrier on the M5 near Wellington starts this week. A health food shop in Chard has been crowned High Street Shop of the Year... and more