Friday 1st August

Friday, 1 August 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A family in Marston Magna is trying to get a relative home from a holiday in Greece, where he's been taken seriously ill. The fire service is warning of the dangers of leaving mirrors in view of direct sunlight. Residents in Touchstone Lane in Chard have started a new community speed watch group...and more

A family in Marston Magna is trying to get a relative home from a holiday in Greece, where he's been taken seriously ill after insurers refused to pay his travel costs. His insurance company say that Alan Kirby had a pre-existing medical condition that was not disclosed when he applied for travel insurance. His stepdaughter, Lisa Whitemore, has launched an appeal for money to bring him home and is urging holidaymakers to read the terms and conditions of their insurance policies before travelling.

The fire service is warning of the dangers of leaving mirrors in view of direct sunlight following a fire at a property in Crofton Park in Yeovil caused by a mirror left by a window. The fire service says the mirror was left in direct sunlight, sparking a fire that spread to textile wall hangings in a bedroom.

Residents in Touchstone Lane and Helliers Road in Chard have started a community speed watch group. The group, which applied to register with Avon and Somerset Police, want a 20-mile-an-hour limit, together with other traffic-calming measures, introduced in Touchstone Lane and Helliers Road.

A further 60 homes could be built close to Castle Cary railway station if new plans are approved. The development will be accessed via Burfitt Road within the Lovel’s Farm site, and is in addition to the Station Green development at Ansford Hill, where 200 new homes are planned. Grass Roots Planning says a planning application will be submitted to Somerset Council before Christmas. Meanwhile, 49 new homes are to be built in Bruton. Somerset Council has approved plans for the development on the A359 at Cuckoo Hill, close to where a new doctors' surgery will be built.

And, due to the closure of A378 at Langport for bridge repairs, the Nat West mobile bank will be parked at a different location during August. It can be found in the car park at the Rose and Crown pub each Thursday, 12.30 to 1.15 pm. The A378 will be shut between Eastover and the junction with Moor Close to the end of August.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more