Tuesday 18th February

Tuesday, 18 February 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Conservationists are celebrating after two barn owls have returned for a third year to their nestbox on the Blackdown Hills. DEFRA is urging farmers to stay vigilant as the restriction zone for the virus Bluetongue has been extended to South Somerset. Rail travellers are being advised that no services will run on the West of England Line between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury this coming weekend...and more.

Conservationists are celebrating after two barn owls have returned for a third year to their nestbox on the Blackdown Hills in South Somerset. The owls Finn and Trude are being monitored by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. You can watch them live on Owl Cam via the Trust's website.

A man has been arrested for exposing himself in Yeovil. He was seen acting suspiciously in Ninesprings Country Park on Sunday at around 3.30 pm. Police were called and he was arrested for outraging public decency and resisting arrest. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has phone footage is asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

DEFRA is urging farmers to stay vigilant as the restriction zone for the virus Bluetongue has been extended to South Somerset. The virus spreads amongst cattle and sheep and can cause skin problems, mouth ulcers and complications in pregnancy. It rarely affects dogs and isn't a risk to human health or food safety.

Rail travellers are being advised that no services will run on the West of England Line between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury this coming weekend. A replacement bus service will operate between the stations on Saturday and Sunday. The closure is to allow Network Rail to complete repairs to the line.

Sixty children in Somerset have been taught by unaccredited online schools in the last year, costing Somerset Council more than £400,000. Online teaching is provided to children with special needs who can't manage in mainstream schools. The government says local authorities should only use accredited online schools but Somerset Council says it has to use unaccredited providers to cope with the numbers of children needing online teaching.

A member of 40 Commando in Somerset has been speaking after taking part in the first ever winter Invictus Games in Canada. Major John Whiteman, who suffers from PTSD, was competing in rowing, swimming, skiing, and sitting volleyball for Team UK. He said he had an amazing experience.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more