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

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more