Monday 4th August

Monday, 4 August 2025 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.

More from News

Thursday 30th April

More than 4,500 people have expressed interest in joining a new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne. Somerset Council says a long-term solution is needed to make Hendford Hill in Yeovil fully safe for motorists. A Somerset man has won first prize at the World Marmalade Awards... and more
Wednesday 29th April

Somerset Council says Hendford Hill in Yeovil should be fully reopened to traffic by the end of May. Plans have been approved to build 40 new homes in Crewkerne. A huge pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Glastonbury has been cleared... and more
Tuesday 28th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Rimpton. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in South Petherton. Former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has been retained as first-team manager of Taunton Town for next season... and more
Monday 27th April

A former school in Sherborne has been badly damaged by fire. A care home in Yeovil has been rated outstanding. ublic spaces in West Coker owned by Somerset Council are being handed over to the parish council. Mendip Golf Club has presented a cheque for £12,000 to Mind in Somerset... and more
Friday 24th April

Plans have been submitted to turn a property on Preston Road in Yeovil into a House in Multiple Occupation. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has been recalled to the England Red Roses starting line-up for tomorrow’s Women’s Six Nations game against Wales. Three sisters from Yeovil will be running the London Marathon this weekend in support of Guide Dogs UK... and more
Thursday 23rd April

Helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton have completed six weeks of sorties, protecting Cyprus from attacks by Iran. People in Somerset who use domestic heating oil are calling on the government to regulate the oil supply industry. Patients are being invited to register at a new NHS dentist in Crewkerne... and more
Wednesday 22nd April

Expectant mothers are using Yeovil Hospital once again to give birth following the reopening of the maternity unit. A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years for committing sexual offences against two young girls. Plans have been approved to convert a pub in Milborne Port into housing... and more
Tuesday 21st April

NHS Somerset has delayed closing the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has been jailed for making indecent images of children. A Somerset man has been fined after pleading guilty to hunting a wild animal with dogs... and more