Tuesday 26th May

Tuesday, 26 May 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Martock agricultural machinery business has gone into administration, putting around thirty jobs at risk. A new sensory room has opened at a Yeovil schook to support neurodiverse pupils. The headteacher of a Chard primary school is stepping down... and more

Martock-based agricultural machinery firm SFM Technology has gone into administration, putting around thirty jobs at risk. The company, founded in 1985 and holders of a Royal Warrant, specialised in machinery for fruit harvesting, as well as equipment used in the aerospace and automotive industries. Companies House records show HMRC issued a winding-up petition against SFM Technology in October, with joint administrators appointed on May 15th.

Household waste bins across Somerset are being emptied earlier than usual this week because of the hot weather. Somerset Council says crews will begin collections from six o’clock each morning to avoid working during the highest temperatures later in the day. Residents are being asked to leave bins out the night before. Due to yesterday’s Bank Holiday, collections are also running one day later than normal this week.

A new sensory room has opened at Reckleford Infants School in Yeovil to support neurodiverse pupils. The space, called “The Cloud”, is designed to help children relax, regulate emotions, and feel supported throughout the school day.

A motorist from Street has been banned from driving for one year after being caught drug driving. Magistrates in Yeovil heard that Darren Scully, of Brooks Road in Street, was seen driving erratically on the A37 at Ilchester. Police said he was almost double the legal drug-drive limit. He was fined seven hundred pounds and ordered to pay additional court costs and a victim surcharge.

Luke Talmage is stepping down as headteacher of Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard after nine years. He’ll leave in the summer to become chief executive of the Educate Together Academy Trust, which oversees schools across the South West.

And congratulations to the scouts of South Petherton Scouts, who are celebrating after winning the Fox Trophy Novice Award. The group completed a two-night, seventeen-mile expedition carrying all their own equipment, cooking meals, and navigating checkpoints using maps.

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