Monday 4th August

Monday, 4 August 2025 at 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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.

The planned £15m regeneration of the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil has again been delayed again. Somerset Council says it is yet to submit a new business case to upgrade the theatre to the government, which will hold up work starting on the theatre by several more months. Somerset Council has so far spent £473,000 on the Octagon regeneration project, with it costing £140,000 a year to keep the venue closed.

A case of the most serious strain of Avian Flu, H5N1, has been confirmed in Yeovil. A 3-kilometre monitoring zone has been put in place around the affected farm. Last week, a commercial game producer was ordered to cull two and a half thousand pheasant chicks following an outbreak of Avian Flu in West Somerset.

A protest demonstration has been held in Crewkerne against plans to close inpatient beds at the town’s community hospital. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust says it's considering turning Crewkerne Community Hospital into a neighbourhood health centre providing diagnostics and treatments. Objectors say closing beds at Crewkerne Hospital will lead to bed blocking at other hospitals.

The main road through Langport will be shut to traffic from today and for the next four weeks. It’s to allow Network Rail to carry out bridge repairs. Diversions will be in operation with the A378 shut from Eastover to the junction with Moor Close until the end of August.

Two walkers from a Yeovil gym have completed a sponsored trek for MIND in Somerset. Rob Harris from Progress Gym and Chief Petty Officer Adam Hugill raised £2,750 for MIND by walking 44 miles from Watchet Harbour to Seaton.

Radio Ninesprings Presenter, Julie Haylock and her husband, Andrew of Sandhurst Garden Design in Yeovil, won a Gold medal for their Jane Austen themed garden design at Taunton Flower Show. The garden drew on the literary works of Jane Austen and featured structural elements of a once-great Georgian house.

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Friday 30th October

Wells Cathedral says it's having to get creative to bring in more money as financial pressures continue to grow. A convenience store in Martock has been allowed to keep its alcohol licence despite an employee working there illegally. Police have seized an illegally ridden e-scooter in Yeovil in response to concerns from local residents... and more
Thursday 29th October

A Yeovil man has been detained under the Mental Health Act for attacking his mother with a knife. People in Chard are being reminded that it’s unlawful to attach flags to lamp posts and street furniture. Wincanton Racecourse has called off its 'Badger Chase Day' because the ground is too firm... and more
Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

Work has started building a new six-million-pound flood defence scheme in Taunton. Plans have been submitted to build a new church hall in Martock. People are being asked to donate gifts to this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal... and more
Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

The owner of campsite in Somerset says a two-thousand-seven-hundred percent increase in business rates will be 'catastrophic' for his business. Plans to build nearly 300 new homes on the outskirts of Chard have been given the go ahead. Yeovil Town are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after beating Leatherhead 5-2 at Huish Park last night... and more