Tuesday 12th August

Tuesday, 12 August 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A new 'family style' children's home for vulnerable children has opened in Somerset. Railway services between Yeovil and Exeter will run less frequently and at a slower speed from this week. A Crewkerne man has been given a one-year driving ban for drug driving. Chard Town Council says the public toilets near Sainsbury’s have been deep cleaned in preparation for re-opening them...and more.

A new 'family style' children's home for vulnerable children has opened in Somerset; the eighth of its kind in the county. The ‘Family style’ homes provide wraparound care for up to three vulnerable children. It’s a concept, pioneered by Somerset Council, that’s now being rolled out in other local authority areas.

Railway services between Yeovil and Exeter will run less frequently and at a slower speed from this week. The track on the Waterloo to Exeter line has been impacted by the hot weather, meaning that trains have to travel more slowly. Trains will, however, now stop at Crewkerne station.

Chard Town Council says the public toilets near Sainsbury’s have been deep cleaned in preparation for reopening them. The Town Council has taken over running the toilets in the Bath Street car park and has appointed a contractor to clean them daily, but hasn’t given a date when they will re-open.

A Crewkerne man has been given a one-year driving ban for drug driving. Pleading guilty to the charge before a Judge in Yeovil, Christopher Baker, aged 30, of Ivel Way in Crewkerne, also admitted driving without insurance or a licence in Crewkerne in January, earlier this year. Apart from the driving ban, Baker was fined £120 along with a £120 surcharge and £40 costs.

Somerset Council is holding a series of information days to recruit more foster families for children in care. One of the events is being held in Somerton next month, offering local people the chance to learn what fostering really involves. Full details and booking information can be found at somerset.gov.uk/fostering.

Toy chain, The Entertainer, which has a store on Middle Street in Yeovil, is handing over control of the business to its employees. In future, the company will be run by an employee trust, with staff getting a share of the profits and a say in how the business operates.

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Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

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Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more