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.

More from News

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
Monday 20th April

Nearly one hundred roads in Somerset will be surface dressed this summer to prevent further damage. Almost all children starting primary school in Somerset in September have been offered a place at one of their top three school choices. People in Somerset are being asked to record wild mammals in gardens and other green spaces over the summer... and more