Tuesday 23rd September

Tuesday, 23 September 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Two cars have been destroyed by fire in Martock. A Somerset cider maker says it's expecting a record-breaking apple crop this year. The Woodland Trust has awarded Manor Court Primary School in Chard a Gold Standard...and more.

Two cars have been destroyed by fire in Martock, with two other vehicles affected by heat damage. It happened in the early hours of Sunday. The cause of the blaze is unknown. No one was injured.

A Somerset cider maker says they're expecting a record-breaking apple crop this year, thanks to the long, hot summer. Cider producers, Showerings, say it's expecting a “monster crop” of up to 2,500 tonnes of apples. Last year, 1,000 tonnes of apples were harvested by Showerings.

A date has been set to merge the two parishes in South Somerset. If all goes to plan, Castle Cary Town Council and Ansford Parish Council will become one entity by the next local elections in May 2027. Formal consultations are now underway, with the merger to be adopted by the end of 2026, ahead of the local elections the following May.

Shepton Mallet business owner and disabled campaigner Josh Wintersgill has criticised changes to a government scheme that supports people like him. Josh, who’s reliant on a wheelchair, is supported with his business through the Access to Work scheme. But Josh says changes to the scheme have left him worse off.

A post office in Yeovil will shut for six weeks next month for an upgrade. Westfield Post Office on Stiby Road will close on Thursday, October 16th and re-open on Friday, November 28th. During the closure, customers should use the Orchard Street Post Office at Huish and the Sandhurst Road Post Office in West Coker.

The Woodland Trust has awarded Manor Court Primary School in Chard a Gold Standard. It’s in recognition of work by an after-school nature club that’s planted hedges and trees, cleared a pond to encourage wildlife, and run a successful anti-litter poster campaign.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
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

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
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