Monday 10th November

Monday, 10 November 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

It’s claimed Somerset Council has lost nearly £5 million selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. A car has been set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Shepton Mallet. A Crewkerne man says night-time noise from the town's Waitrose store is causing him and his family "sleep disturbance" ... and more.

It’s claimed Somerset Council has lost nearly £5 million selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. The former South Somerset District Council purchased the site on Middle Street for £7.65 million in 2017. Ownership was transferred to Somerset Council upon the closure of SSDC in 2023. Leader of the Conservative opposition group at Somerset Council, Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, claims Somerset Council has sold the Marks and Spencer building for £2.8m, representing a loss of £4.85m. Latest figures show that in 2024, Somerset Council sold properties for £76m that had originally cost £104m to purchase, resulting in a loss of £28 m.

A car has been set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Shepton Mallet. The incident occurred on Bruton Road in the early hours of Saturday. Police say the vehicle was completely burnt out.

Farmers and poultry producers in Somerset have been advised to move their birds indoors to help combat the spread of avian flu. The RSPB says its site at Ham Wall, near Glastonbury, remains closed. A former government adviser, Professor Ian Brown, says this year’s strain of the virus could be the most infectious yet.

Police have charged a second man with attempted murder after a gun was fired on the Lufton trading estate in Yeovil. James McGuinness, aged 30, has already appeared in court charged with attempted murder. Police say a second man, Junior Renford, aged 33, from Charlton in London, has also been charged with attempted murder. He’s due to appear at Taunton Crown Court on November 17th.

A Crewkerne man says noise from the town's Waitrose store is causing him and his family "sleep disturbance". Brian Noer, who lives on Bryants Row in Crewkerne, claims night-time operations at the store, including moving metal cages, unloading lorries, and ongoing refurbishment works, have led to his family suffering mental and physical distress. The environmental health department at Somerset Council is now investigating Mr Noer’s complaint.

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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