Thursday 5th June

Thursday, 5 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told that the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. The unit was shut with little warning last month following safety concerns raised in an inspection report by the Care Quality Commission. It has meant expectant mothers in the Yeovil area have to travel to the Royal Hospital in Bath, County Hospital in Dorchester or Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton to give birth. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Dance said the decision to close the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital had been badly handled.

Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers in Yeovil. The driver and the seven passengers on the coach made a quick exit when flames were spotted coming from the engine compartment. The incident happened at the crossroads at Vagg Hill. No one was hurt.

A Yeovil man has been given a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of a sexual assault against a teenager. Steven Hentschel, aged 54, was convicted of one count of sexual assault on a woman, who was 15 at the time and was given a 4-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months. Hentschel was also ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and had his name put on the sex offenders register.

The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase. William Eastment, aged 79, was arrested by police as he was about to fly home to the UK.

The churchyard at St John’s in Glastonbury has re-opened after being shut for the past month due to anti-social behaviour.

Silver Street in Ilminster will be closed to traffic this weekend. It’s to allow for a food and craft market to be held between the Market Square and Court Barton. Residents of Silver Street are kindly requested to remove their vehicles by 7:00 a.m. on Saturday.

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Wednesday 17th June

Avon and Somerset Police say they'll be carrying out enhanced patrols for drink and drug driving during and after England's opening World Cup game tonight. Somerset Chamber of Commerce is warning that the conflict in Iran is having a serious impact on local businesses. A master thatcher based in Ilminster says the traditional craft of thatching is under threat because of a lack of training opportunities...and more
Tuesday 16th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal two-vehicle crash on the A358 near Ilminster. A man from Norton-sub-Hamdon has appeared in court charged with drink driving. An original Mr Blobby costume from the former Blobbyland theme park at Cricket St Thomas has been put up for sale... and more
Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
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.