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

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