Monday 17th August

Monday, 17 August 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Wessex Water, who supplies almost all homes and businesses in Somerset, has introduced a hosepipe ban effective from midnight tonight. A sinkhole on Station Road in Castle Cary has been repaired, two years after it was first discovered. A Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton has taken part in the annual passing-out parade at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth... and more

Breaking News; Wessex Water, who supplies almost all homes and businesses in Somerset, has introduced a hosepipe ban effective from midnight tonight. The decision follows more than 40 days of demand for water at record-breaking levels and the South West declared in a drought. It means customers must not use a hosepipe for activities such as watering gardens, washing cars, patios, paths and driveways, cleaning windows or filling swimming and paddling pools. The ban is the first time in 50 years that Wessex Water has introduced restrictions on water use, the last time being the drought of 1976.

A sinkhole on Station Road in Castle Cary has been repaired, two years after it was first discovered. Somerset Council says an initial attempt to fix what appeared to be a localised depression in the road revealed a much more complex problem, involving damage to a culvert beneath the road. The council says the work has involved deep excavation, extensive investigation and close coordination with utility companies.

A 34-year-old man from Chard has been jailed for sexual offences involving a child. Andrew McLeod, of Victoria Avenue in Chard, pleaded guilty when he appeared at Taunton Crown Court. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years. He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation activity days. McLeod has also been given a sexual harm prevention order lasting five years.

A former care home in Yeovil is set to become a care home again. Tyndale House, on Preston Road, closed as a care home in 2019 before being converted into an 18-bed house in multiple occupation in 2021.The owners, Tyndale Limited, have now secured planning permission from Somerset Council to return the building to use as a fully functioning care home.

Somerset Council is carrying out urgent repairs to three of its buildings in Yeovil. The work is taking place at Goldenstones Leisure Centre in Brunswick Street, Lufton Depot on the Lufton Industrial Estate, and Petters House in Petters Way. The repairs are expected to continue through the rest of the summer and into early autumn, with the council saying the timetable is designed to minimise disruption to the public.

A Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton has taken part in the annual passing-out parade for junior officers at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. The aircraft, from 825 Naval Air Squadron, performed a flypast marking the completion of 29 weeks of intensive training for 150 junior officers that included 134 officers from the Royal Navy and 16 from allied partner navies.

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Thursday 10th September

Work has begun building a new multi-million-pound David Lloyd leisure centre in Yeovil. NHS Somerset says a new system to handle emergency stroke care will lead to "better outcomes" for patients. Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will go on sale in October...and more
Wednesday 9th September

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following an assault in Yeovil. Businesses in Taunton say they're worried that planned changes to parking rules could put people off visiting the town. The Red Arrows will take to the skies near the Somerset border in a one-off display later this week... and more
Tuesday 8th September

Police in Avon and Somerset say they’re dealing with a big increase in reports of cloned vehicle fraud. A new video system designed to speed up stroke care has been launched in Somerset. Pilgrims are walking through Somerset this week to mark eight hundred years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi... and more
Monday 7th September

Avon and Somerset Police are warning about a new scam involving criminals posing as police officers. Flu vaccinations are now available on the NHS ahead of the winter. Liverpool comedian John Bishop has cancelled his show in Taunton later this week after breaking his ankle... and more
Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more
Thursday 3rd September

Fifteen thousand people have signed a petition calling on Somerset Council to cancel plans for a huge data centre in Bridgwater. A nest of Asian hornets has been found in Somerset. More patients in Somerset are set to benefit from a hospital project aimed at restoring independence... and more
Wednesday 2nd September

Yeovil-based charity, School in a Bag, has started sending supplies to Nepal to help in the aftermath of the devastating floods. 6,000 people have signed a petition opposing plans for a new relief road in Chard. The Royal British Legion in Somerset is appealing for more volunteers to help run this year’s Poppy Appeal... and more
Tuesday 1st September

One person had to be cut free from a vehicle following a two-vehicle collision on the A30 near Chard. A Yeovil man has been jailed for 7-and-a-half years for supplying cocaine and cannabis. Two Somerset teenagers have become the youngest to swim the Bristol Channel... and more