Tuesday 24th June

Tuesday, 24 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

There’s been a drop in the number of potholes being filled in on Somerset’s roads. A Somerset company has developed a new type of un-crewed helicopter. A man has cycled from Spain to Somerset to attend Glastonbury Festival...and more

There’s been a drop in the number of potholes being filled in on Somerset’s roads. In the financial year, April 2024 to April 2025, 24,483 potholes were repaired compared to 28,574 in the previous financial year. This, despite the government giving Somerset Council an extra £3.5 million to fix potholes. The Council says the figures don’t tell a full story as some roads were resurfaced rather than having potholes filled in.

A Somerset company has developed a new type of un-crewed helicopter. The aircraft designed by Certo Aerospace Limited, based in Frome, is the first in the UK to be fitted with a coaxial rotor head, allowing it to be flown remotely.

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling on the government to review how it deals with littering. He wants greater focus put on the impact of littering on public health, especially as it affects people in rural areas. Mr Dance is also asking for more investment in rural recycling infrastructure and better support for councils to enforce the existing littering laws.

Wessex Internet has secured £50 million in investment from the National Wealth Fund to expand its fibre coverage to homes and businesses. The company says the cash will be used to bring faster broadband to hard-to-reach areas, including in South Somerset.

Recycling and rubbish collections start at the earlier time of 6 am in parts of the broadcast area from today. Somerset Council says the change of start time is to avoid bin crews getting stuck in extra traffic on local roads travelling to the Glastonbury festival.

The A361 between Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury will be closed for 26 days, commencing on Sunday, 28 July. It’s to allow Wales & West Utilities to lay a new gas main at Fishers Hill and for drainage work to take place outside Millfield Prep School.

A man has cycled from Spain to Somerset to attend the Glastonbury Festival. Ollie White, who lives in Madrid, has covered 60 miles every day over the last 3 weeks and is due to arrive at Worthy Farm today. Meanwhile, the Met Office has published its 5-day forecast for Glastonbury. Tomorrow in Pilton will be cloudy with sunny intervals. Thursday will be overcast, with sunshine expected by late morning. Friday could see showers early on. Saturday and Sunday will be mostly cloudy.

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Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more