Monday 30th March

Monday, 30 March 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Avon and Somerset Police say its armed officers attended 2,700 incidents in Somerset last year. Plans have been submitted to build 40 new homes in Curry Rivel. South Western Ambulance is offering free CPR and defibrillator training to help improve cardiac arrest survival rates...and more

Avon and Somerset Police say its armed officers attended 2,700 incidents in Somerset last year. New data shows that, on average, there were 231 incidents a month attended by firearms officers in Somerset in 2025. The data does not equate to the number of incidents in which firearms were used or involved.

Plans have been submitted to build 40 new homes off Maple Road in Curry Rivel. Fourteen of the homes will be affordable, meeting Somerset Council's target of 35 per cent affordable housing for any new development of ten homes or more. Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the application within the next six months.

Eight hundred thousand pounds is being spent dredging rivers in Somerset to prevent flooding. Somerset Rivers Authority says it is also spending one hundred thousand pounds on removing vegetation from the River Isle near Donyatt to prevent flooding on the A358.

Over the Easter weekend, a stretch of track on the West of England Rail Line through Somerset will be closed for rail replacement works. From Friday, April 3rd, to Monday, April 6th, trains from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids will terminate at Yeovil Junction. Buses will replace trains to Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton and Exeter St Davids.

South Western Ambulance is offering free CPR and defibrillator training to help improve cardiac arrest survival rates. Data shows that only one in ten people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, a statistic the ambulance service believes can be improved through community education. Organisations interested in hosting a session should visit the South Western Ambulance website to make a booking.

The Mendip Hills National Landscape is offering young people the chance to become Young Rangers. Volunteers will take part in activities each month, including navigation skills, conservation tasks and dry-stone walling.

More from News

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more