Tuesday 21st October

Tuesday, 21 October 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. The eastbound carriageway, between Goldcroft and Sherborne Road, will close from Saturday, October 25th, until Saturday, November 8th. An alternative route will be available to motorists.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, has paid out £23 million in compensation for claims related to birth injuries in the past 5 years. According to figures provided by Medical Negligence Assist, 56 claims were lodged, with 29 being settled. The data follows the announcement that an investigation is to be held into maternity services at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

A man from Chard has appeared in court charged with intentional strangulation. Appearing at Taunton Crown Court, Darren Wilkinson, aged 24, of Holyrood Street, pleaded guilty to committing intentional strangulation in February this year. Wilkinson was also charged with failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

There was a sharp rise in reports of sexual offences in Avon and Somerset last year, with Yeovil experiencing its highest number of reports since 2022. The figures, collected by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, show that 7,652 rape and sexual offences were reported to Avon and Somerset Police in 2024. Yeovil received the highest number of reports, with 559 offences recorded in 2024.

A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre. St Dunstan's House will provide a venue for community activities, access to health and wellbeing advice and support for local groups.

Major roadworks on the M5 at Junction 26 for Wellington start this week to tackle flooding. National Highways is investing £5.9 million in improving drainage to avoid flooding on the verges and the carriageway. A 50mph speed limit is in place until February, with some overnight closures planned over the next four months.

More from News

Monday 20th October

Somerton and Glastonbury MP, Sarah Dyke, says the government needs to get an urgent grip on the worsening dentistry situation in her constituency. Bridgwater Town Council has criticised plans by the Somerset Council to charge for Sunday parking. Somerset Council’s Libraries service has launched its Winter Coat Exchange scheme for a third year...and more
Friday 17th October

A new £7 million primary school and nursery is to be built in the grounds of Holyrood Academy in Chard. A public consultation has opened into plans to merge the parishes of Ansford and Castle Cary. The nomination papers that paved the way for Margaret Thatcher to become Britain's first female Prime Minister have been uncovered in a Somerset garage...and more
Thursday 16th October

Two mothers in Chard are calling on carnival organisers to make carnivals more accessible to children with special educational needs. 4,000 people have been put on a waiting list at a new NHS dental practice in Somerset. Channel 4’s ‘Love It or List It’ is looking to feature properties in Somerset in a new series... and more
Wednesday 15th October

The maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is to reopen within the next six months. There’s been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon theatre. No CrossCountry trains will run through Somerset this weekend due to planned industrial action by the RMT union...and more.
Tuesday 14th October 2025

Film and TV crews have given Somerset's economy a £4 million boost in the last 12 months. Around 100 people have objected to plans to build 325 new homes in Crewkerne. Somerset Council is asking the public to report anyone they see sleeping rough...and more
Monday 13th October

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is urging people to join a campaign for improved support for children with dyslexia. An opposition Conservative member of Somerset Council says businesses will suffer a ‘terrible blow’ if plans go ahead to sell off five Yeovil town centre car parks. A Yeovil man has been jailed for three years... and more.
Friday 10th October

Union members at Leonardo sites across the UK, including in Yeovil, have voted to go on strike after rejecting a 3.2 percent pay offer. GWR has apologised for not providing a visually impaired Yeovil women with an escort to cross between platforms at Pen Mill station. A walnut grower in Somerset is calling on supermarkets to stop importing the nuts from aboard and to sell the ones he grows instead... and more
Thursday 9th October

Police are appealing for witnesses to a break-in at The Crossing Café on Preston Road in Yeovil. A Yeovil Pharmacist says a 70 percent of people booking an online covid jab are not eligible this year. A former doctor in Chard has won through to the semi-finals of BBC Mastermind...and more