Monday 8th September

Monday, 8 September 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Farmers in Somerset will be driving their tractors to protest at Labour’s annual Party Conference in Liverpool later this month. A Somerset animal rescue centre says it’s dealing with a surge in the number of large dog breeds being surrendered or rehomed. The George Inn in Ilminster has announced that it will be reopening to customers on Monday, September 15th...and more

Farmers in Somerset will be driving their tractors to Labour’s annual Party Conference in Liverpool later this month to protest about the government’s planned changes to inheritance tax. The demonstration, organised by Farmers to Action, will see farmers from all around the UK converge on Labour’s conference, which starts in Liverpool on September 28th. They want the government to scrap the inheritance tax changes that will impose a 20% tax on inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1 million from April next year.

A Somerset animal rescue centre says it’s dealing with a surge in the number of large dog breeds being surrendered or rehomed. Happy Landings Animal Rescue in Shepton Mallet says 200 big dogs, including bully breeds and German Shepherds, have been brought to it so far this year. A spokesperson blames the increase on owners not being prepared to give the training, exercise, and care that big dogs need.

A breast cancer charity is starting new monthly help sessions in Yeovil. Breast Cancer Now holds its first “Living with Secondary Breast Cancer” session on Tuesday, September 16th at the Westlands Entertainment venue.

Heritage train rides will soon start running out of Shillingstone station in North Dorset. It follows the completion of work to re-lay the track and sidings that were once part of the Somerset and Dorset line. The North Dorset Railway group says steam and diesel rides will run along 780 meters of track, passing over the Lamb House Bridge, before returning to the station platform.

The Ilminster and District Lions Club has thanked the people who donated items to send to Ukraine. Since the start of the war with Russia, Ilminster Lions has sent 31 boxes of personal care products, baby clothes and medical supplies to the people of Ukraine.

Drivers are again using Junction 26 on the M5 in Somerset. The junction was shut in June for the Chelston Link road to be resurfaced.

The George Inn in Ilminster has announced that it will reopen to customers on Monday, September 15th.

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