Thursday 31st July

Thursday, 31 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A bird flu surveillance zone has been imposed in Somerset. The go-ahead has been given to build sixteen new homes in Shepton Beauchamp. Year Four pupils at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have been presented with dictionaries by the local Rotary Club...and more.

A bird flu surveillance zone has been imposed in Somerset. It follows the discovery of the most serious variant of bird flu – H5NI – on a poultry farm near Dulverton. A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been established around the farm. The Animal and Plant Health Agency is asking all bird keepers to remain vigilant and follow stringent biosecurity measures to prevent future outbreaks.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is accusing the government of neglecting families in his constituency. New figures have shown that child poverty in Yeovil rose from 17.7% in 2019-20 to 20.4% in 2023-24. Mr Dance says too many children in his constituency are growing up in poverty, and the number is rising, not falling. Mr Dance has welcomed the government drawing up a new strategy to tackle child poverty but says children in Yeovil need help now and not a promise of action in the future.

The go-ahead has been given to build sixteen new homes in Shepton Beauchamp. Land off Piece Lane, on the northern edge of the village, between Ilminster and South Petherton, has been earmarked for the development. Six of the homes will be affordable and managed by the Abri Housing Association.

The catering team at Yeovil Hospital has won a top award for the food it serves. At the Public Sector Catering Awards 2025, they were presented with an Exemplar Status Award by NHS England.

One hundred and twenty meters of hedging in Ilminster will be removed if plans are approved to build houses off Canal Way. Developers Persimmon Homes South West want to take down the hedging, close to the Meadows Medical Centre, to make way for a new access road to the development. Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the application by the autumn.

Year Four pupils at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have been presented with dictionaries by the local Rotary Club. Staff at the school have thanked members of Ilminster Rotary Club for their support, helping to encourage learning both in and outside the classroom.

More from News

Monday 16th March

Drivers are being told that it could take several more weeks yet before Hendford Hill in Yeovil reopens to traffic. A new bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station is to start on a trial basis. Children in Chard are being given free reading books as part of a scheme founded by Dolly Parton... and more
Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more