Thursday 27th November

Thursday, 27 November 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A new NHS dentist in Chard will start seeing its first patients next Tuesday. The go-ahead has been given to install five new lighting and CCTV columns on Milfield Road in Chard. Work is to start in January, replacing ageing traffic signals at the A39 junction with Clarks Village in Street...and more

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has welcomed news that a new NHS dentist will open in Chard next week. One Smile Dental will run the practice and plans to see its first patients on Tuesday. The registration process is due to restart before the end of the week, following higher-than-expected demand for appointments.

Symphony Healthcare Services is streamlining the way it runs its seven GP surgeries in our area. At the moment, Ilchester Surgery, Martock Surgery, and the Buttercross Health Centre in Somerton operate on separate contracts to Symphony’s four other GP practices in Crewkerne, South Petherton, and Stoke-sub-Hamdon. Symphony managing director Kerry White says from January, all seven practices will operate under one contract, enabling their medical teams to use a shared medical record system to provide more efficient patient care.

The go-ahead has been given to install five new lighting and CCTV columns on land in Milfield Road, in Chard. The site, owned by Numatic, is used for employee and visitor parking.

A date’s been announced for the start of work replacing ageing traffic signals on the A39 junction with Clarks Village in Street. Somerset Council says six sets of traffic lights spanning the intersection need to be renewed because they are more than 30 years old. The work will start on January 5th and last for up to 16 weeks. The road between Westway Roundabout and Street Roundabout will also be resurfaced, with a new path for cyclists and pedestrians added.

Yeovil Town’s new manager, Billy Rowley, has appointed Darren Simpson as his assistant. Simpson worked closely with Rowley during their time together at Walton and Hersham. Both will be in the dugout for the first time when Yeovil host Boston United at Huish Park on Saturday.

The finalists have been announced for this year’s Turnip Prize, held in Somerset every year, as a spoof of the Turner Prize, celebrating the silliest artwork made with the least amount of effort. Amongst this year’s finalists is a crushed beer can called ‘Bitter and Twisted’.

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