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.

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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.