Friday 28th March

Friday, 28 March 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

First Bus has invested £12 million in buying 26 electric buses to run on routes in Somerset. Approval has been given to build 18 new homes in South Petherton. Somerset’s recycling sites, including Yeovil, will revert to their spring opening times next week. This year’s Somerset Drama Festival has been won by Ilminster Entertainments Society...and more.

A fleet of new electric buses will soon start running on Somerset roads. First Bus has bought 26 of the zero-emission vehicles at a cost of £12 million, £2 million of which has been provided by the government. The electric buses will run on all routes in Somerset, including in Yeovil.

Organisers of this weekend’s Yeovil Half Marathon are reminding runners of a change to the start line. In previous years, the race has started outside the library in South Street. This year it will start on the High Street, outside Superdrug. Around 1400 people have so far registered to compete in Sunday’s Yeovil half-marathon.

People in Yeovil are being asked to have their say on plans to extend dog control measures in Ninesprings Country Park..The measures, which include a dog exclusion zone as well as making owners keep their animals on leads, expire in June. Somerset Council wants to extend the protection orders by three years and has started a public consultation that runs until the 5th May.

Somerset’s recycling sites, including Yeovil, will revert to their spring opening times next week. From Tuesday, April 1st, all of Somerset’s 16 recycling sites will open from 9 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, and 9 am to 4 pm at weekends.

Final approval has been given to build 18 new homes in South Petherton. The houses will be built off Lampreys Lane by Acorn Homes of Taunton. The application, that’s been on hold for five years, was approved at a meeting of Somerset Council’s Area South Planning Committee after the developer agreed to additional phosphate mitigation on the site.

This year’s Somerset Drama Festival has been won by Ilminster Entertainments Society with their production of My Best Friend. The festival, featuring nine groups performing 10 plays, was held at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster.

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