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 22nd May

The National Farmers Union in Somerset has welcomed the government’s new trade deal with six Gulf countries. Campaigners say Somerset’s canals and locks are in urgent need new investment. The Liverpool comedian John Bishop is heading to Somerset later this year...and more
Thursday 21st May

Police are being asked to cut the time the M5 is closed following accidents. Plans to build a major solar farm near Chard have been thrown out. Aldi is asking shoppers to help find locations for new stores in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 20th May

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their cholesterol checked to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with using threatening behaviour. A gardener from Somerset has won a silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show... and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Somerset car boot business says it will no longer accept twenty-pound notes after being handed counterfeit notes.Taunton Flower Show is warning this year’s event could be its last. Numatic, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, have invested one-and-a-half million pounds installing new solar panels at their factory in Chard... and more
Monday 18th May

The RSPCA is investigating after eleven newborn puppies were abandoned in Snowdon Park in Chard. Major funding has been announced for a new two-year arts programme in Yeovil. Plans have been unveiled to improve sports facilities at Somerton Recreation Ground...and more
Friday 15th May

A fire that damaged two vehicles in Chaffcombe near Chard is being treated as deliberate. A road in Hardington Mandeville is set to re-open today after being closed for three days. Friends, family and colleagues of a Royal Navy officer based at RNAS Yeovilton are taking on a 630-mile coastal challenge in her memory... and more
Thursday 14th May

Somerset Council has defended spending nineteen million pounds on consultants over the past three years. A new clinic specialising in sexual health has opened in Yeovil. RNAS Yeovilton has been in the TV spotlight this week after featuring on Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr...and more
Wednesday 13th May

Concern's been expressed that too many of the 580 new council homes being built in Somerset will be clustered around Taunton and Bridgwater. Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman died following a crash on the M5. Haynes Motor Museum has been awarded £180,000 by The National Lottery to transform its Red Room gallery... and more