Tuesday 17th September

    £400 million is being invested in research and development projects at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil. £29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years. A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure. A new procedure for treating varicose veins has made it possible for patients to leave hospital earlier... and more.

    An investment of £400 million in the Leonardo factory in Yeovil has been announced by Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, during his visit to Italy. Sir Keir gave no other details except to say the money would be spent on research and development.

    £29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years, with the former South Somerset District Council owed £9.1 million in uncollected council tax. A Freedom of Information request by Accident Claims Advice found that Somerset's five former local authorities wrote off £7 million of debts deemed impossible to collect in the financial year 2021/22. A total of £28,978,000 in council tax remained uncollected across all five former councils between the 2021/22 and 2023 /24 financial years. £7 million was written off as unviable or impossible to collect in the financial year 2021/22.

    A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure in young people after she was struck with the condition over the summer. Lilly Canterbury, who’s 14, was placed in a coma after becoming seriously ill in June following flu-like symptoms. She now has dialysis three times a week and will need a kidney transplant. Lilly says she’s gone public with her story to raise awareness of kidney failure.

    Babies, re-admitted to Yeovil Hospital with jaundice are being given a diagnosis within just two to three minutes of arriving, thanks to a new way of testing for jaundice. Senior sister Beth Hawken and nurse Eleonora Forbes worked on developing the new test, a procedure that previously had been taking up to seven hours to complete. Yeovil Hospital says it has made the care of neonatal babies more efficient meaning they’re not jaundiced for long and are less likely to experience complications.

    Parents and carers of children in Somerset due to start school or move on to their next school in September 2025 are being urged to apply for a place online. Applications can be made via the Somerset Council website until January 15th.

    Patients in Somerset having varicose veins treatment are now able to go home within a few hours of a procedure. A new treatment room at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton is allowing patients to be treated under local anaesthetic in an outpatient setting with them leaving hospital earlier and not taking up any theatre time.

    More from News

    • Thursday 1st May

      There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.

    • Wednesday 30th April

      The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.

    • Tuesday 29th April

      New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.

    • Monday 28th April

      Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.

    • Friday 25th April

      Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more

    •  Thursday 24th April

      Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.

    • Wednesday 23rd April

      Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.

    • Tuesday 22nd April

      The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Sunny intervals

      High: 27°C | Low: 11°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 25°C | Low: 10°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 25°C | Low: 10°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 27°C | Low: 11°C

    • Wincanton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 27°C | Low: 11°C

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