Monday 27th July

Monday, 27 July 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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

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. The company, which specialises in the design and manufacture of precision optics and systems used in aerospace and defence, has been acquired by Greenlight Bidco Limited, a newly formed company owned by Maryland-based Arlington Capital Partners. In a statement, the new owners say they have no plans to move Gooch and Housego’s headquarters or alter its operational role in Somerset.

Nearly one in four motorists stopped by police in Avon and Somerset during a drink and drug driving campaign linked to the World Cup was arrested on suspicion of drink or drug driving offences. Operation Limit ran throughout the three-week tournament, with officers carrying out proactive patrols across the force area.

A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. Appearing for sentencing at Bristol Crown Court, 39-year-old Tony Bartlett, from Axminster, was said to have caused severe injuries to his baby son Atticus during the incident at his mother’s home in Chard in 2022.

The chief executive of Britain’s biggest defence company says the public does not fully appreciate the risks facing the country. Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems, says the threat facing the UK is the highest he has seen in his lifetime. He welcomed the government’s announcement of increased defence spending but said much more needs to be done.

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. Felix Wood and four others completed the challenge of rowing around the British coastline in 32 days, 30 minutes and 58 seconds.

Two Somerset reservoirs have been classed as having exceptionally low levels, with a further six said to be notably low. Blagdon and Wimbleball are both below sixty percent full. Wessex Water has not imposed a hosepipe ban, but is asking people to use water more carefully.

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Tuesday 18th August

People across Somerset are banned from today from using hosepipes to water gardens, clean windows or cars, or fill swimming and paddling pools. More cases of the potentially deadly livestock disease Bluetongue have been confirmed in Somerset. Work is underway to improve disabled access at Holyrood Academy in Chard... and more
Monday 17th August

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
Friday 14th August

Police are investigating an incident in which obscene words were scratched onto the World War One memorial at Ham Hill. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has repeated his call for the upgrade of the town’s police station to include a custody suite. A Somerset carnival club is building a specially adapted float to allow a wheelchair user and her assistance dog to take part in this year’s carnival circuit...and more
Thursday 13th August

An Ilminster family is celebrating after winning one million pounds on the National Lottery. Police have released a picture of a man they want to speak to in connection with suspected frauds in Somerset. Somerset Council has opened a tendering process to find a main contractor for the £15 million upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon theatre... and more
Wednesday 12th August

Experts say with good visibility forecast for this evening, people across Somerset should have some of the best views of the solar eclipse anywhere in the UK. A Somerset councillor is calling for the Stop Line cycle route between Chard and Ilminster to be better supported. It's 40-years ago this week since a Lynx helicopter built in Yeovil set a new World Helicopter Speed Record... and more
Tuesday 11th August

Wessex Water says a hosepipe ban is possible if customers fail to cut their water usage. A record number of illegal dog fights were reported in Somerset last year. Yeovil Town's Mason Obeng has won the traditional sack of potatoes, given to the player who scores Yeovil's first goal of the new season, as a lucky omen... and more
Monday 10th August

A local councillor claims anti-social behaviour is putting people off coming into Yeovil town centre. South-West Water has announced a hosepipe ban in the Chard area. Great Western Railway has apologised after a wheelchair user from Chard became stuck at one of its stations... and more
Friday 7th August

Chard's biggest employer, Numatic International, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, has announced job cuts. A new Neighbourhood Plan for Hatch Beauchamp has officially been adopted. Two historic artefacts taken from Glastonbury Abbey more than 70 years ago have been returned...and more