Monday 11th August

Monday, 11 August 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Bus drivers with First Bus in Somerset are being balloted about possible strike action. Six thousand pounds has been raised towards repairing a boat, used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett in Langport, after vandals damaged it. A hedgehog rescue charity in Somerset is facing closure due to a lack of funds...and more

Bus passengers are being warned about potential disruption to services in Somerset. It follows the rejection of a pay offer by drivers belonging to the Unite union, who are being balloted on possible strike action. First Bus says it remains open to having constructive discussions with drivers to settle the dispute.

A community boat, damaged by vandals in Langport, has been fully repaired after local people raised six thousand pounds. The Duchess of Cocklemoor is used for taking visitors to Langport on sightseeing trips along the River Parrett.

A hedgehog rescue charity in Somerset is facing closure. Prickles Hedgehog Rescue Centre, which has been running for eleven years, says it’s having difficulty raising the income needed to stay open.

Langport-based charity Bibic has launched a new fundraising campaign. Bibic, which supports children and young people with neurological difficulties and disabilities, says it’s facing a funding gap and needs to raise £25,000 during August.

A man who knocked a pillion passenger off a motorbike in Yeovil has been given a twelve-month driving ban. Charles Hudson collided with the motorbike on the Horsey Lane roundabout at the junction of Lysander Road and Queensway in Yeovil, injuring the pillion passenger, who later died in hospital. Appearing in court in Yeovil, Hudson, aged 58, from New South Wales in Australia, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and was also fined £1,150 with a £460 victim surcharge.

Work starts today on gas main repairs in the Old Town area of Chard. Temporary traffic lights will be operating in Mill Lane with access to Bradfield Way blocked for the next eight weeks.

More from News

Tuesday 12th August

A new 'family style' children's home for vulnerable children has opened in Somerset. Railway services between Yeovil and Exeter will run less frequently and at a slower speed from this week. A Crewkerne man has been given a one-year driving ban for drug driving. Chard Town Council says the public toilets near Sainsbury’s have been deep cleaned in preparation for re-opening them...and more.
Friday 8th August

Somerset Council has paused roadworks on Fore Street in Chard indefinitely due to unforeseen complications. A Somerset farming family says they've lost faith in the government over plans to introduce inheritance tax on farm estates. Memories are being revived of a Live Aid concert in Yeovil from 40 years ago, which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Thursday 7th August

The owners of Yeovil Town Football Club say that they are hopeful of concluding a deal with Somerset Council to buy back Huish Park very soon. Hestercombe House and Gardens near Taunton has gone into administration. The Government is eyeing up the possibility of using brownfield land near railway lines in Somerset for house building...and more
Wednesday 6th August

A fire at the former Mermaid Hotel in Yeovil town centre is being treated as accidental. People with premium bonds in Somerset are being encouraged to check their numbers as over 800-thousand pounds of prizes remain unclaimed. Chard is set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day later this month...and more.
Tuesday 5th August

A college merger in Somerset has created one of the largest education groups in the UK. People in Somerset are being encouraged to report drivers who misuse disabled parking bays. A D-Day veteran from Somerset is celebrating his 100th birthday this week...and more
Monday 4th August

The planned £15m regeneration of Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been delayed again. A case of the most serious strain of Avian Flu has been confirmed in Yeovil. The main A378 road through Langport will be shut to traffic from today and for the next four weeks...and more.
Friday 1st August

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
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. Year Four pupils at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have been presented with dictionaries by the local Rotary Club...and more.