Friday 25th July

Friday, 25 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.

A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. Bristol Crown Court was told that Daniel Gunter, aged 27, of no fixed address, inflicted catastrophic injuries to the head, neck, legs and jaw of Brendon Staddon. His former partner, Sophie Staddon, aged 23, also of no fixed address, was cleared of causing or allowing the death of a child.

From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. A replacement bus service connecting Yeovil Junction and Axminster stations will serve the station. It's due to the dry weather causing clay embankments to shrink, meaning trains cannot travel safely at their normal speeds.

A local driver, found to be double the drink-drive limit when stopped by police, has been banned from driving for 20 months. Tracy Sandford of Fairhouse Road in Barwick near Yeovil pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at Yeovil Magistrates Court. Sandford was also fined £138 with £85 costs.

Experts say the dry weather and the early heatwave have created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in big numbers in Somerset. People from all around the County are reporting seeing a big increase in wasp numbers for the time of year.

A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life. The carriage has been acquired by the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust, which will undertake a complete restoration before returning it to service on the East Somerset Railway.

Artwork by students at schools in Chard has gone on display at two GP surgeries in the town. The paintings created by students at Manor Court Primary, Redstart Primary, Avishayes Primary and Chard Prep schools, in collaboration with Chard Together, are now displayed in the reception areas of both St. Mary's and Summerfield surgeries.

Cinema at the Warehouse, Ilminster's film club, has announced a new season of showings. The first of twelve screenings planned for the new season will be a showing of The Salt Path on the big screen at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster on Saturday, 13th September.

More from News

Thursday 31st July

A bird flu surveillance zone has been imposed in Somerset. The go-ahead has been given to build sixteen new homes in Shepton Beauchamp. The catering team at Yeovil Hospital has won a top award for the food it serves. Year Four pupils at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have been presented with dictionaries by the local Rotary Club...and more
Wednesday 30th July

The fire service says they still don’t know what caused Monday’s major shop fire in Yeovil. A safeguarding review is being carried out into the case of Daniel Gunter, who was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court last week of murdering his two-week-old baby son at Yeovil Hospital. National convenience store chain, Costcutter, has taken over the empty YMCA charity shop in Middle Street in Yeovil for a new store...and more
Tuesday 29th July

Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. Somerset Council says it's dealing with a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications. Ninety thousand pounds has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset...and more
Monday 28th July

A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
Thursday 24th July

Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Wednesday 23rd July

Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
Tuesday 22nd July

Somerset Community Foundation has launched a "Together for West Somerset Appeal" to help families affected by last Thursday's school coach crash on Exmoor. People in Somerset are being encouraged to improve their recycling of food waste. Free family cooking sessions are being held in Chard. A new children’s soft play area is soon to open in Yeovil...and more
Monday 21st July

A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more