Tuesday 28th July

Monday, 27 July 2026 18:42

By Steve Haigh

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

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. The Grade Two listed store closed in March 2020, with regeneration work taking place elsewhere in the town centre through the Yeovil Refresh project. Somerset Council has now approved a new masterplan for Yeovil town centre, committing to further regeneration, including new homes and commercial space, and bringing former shops back into use. The council says it will be working with the building’s owners to regenerate the former store into flats and commercial space.

A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset and the rest of the SouthWest from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. The UK Health Security Agency says high temperatures could have a significant impact on health and social care services. There’s also an increased risk of cold-water shock and drowning.

A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976. Duncan Palmer says 1976 may have been drier overall, but the conditions farmers are experiencing now are far more challenging. Agronomist Sam Pociecha, who advises farmers on growing crops, says the dry conditions are having a major impact.

Average earnings in Somerset have risen above the rate of inflation over the past year. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show wages increased by five-point-five per cent to an average of two-thousand-five-hundred-and-sixteen pounds a month in the year to June. Analysis shows workers in Somerset are now one-hundred-and-one pounds a month better off in real terms than they were in February 2022.

A pub in Street is looking for a new landlord. Punch Pubs is advertising The King Alfred, on Leigh Road, as a business opportunity. The pub includes a main bar, a restaurant seating up to 90 people, a private function room, beer garden, three guest rooms and parking for 20 cars.

Ditton Street and Listers Hill in Ilminster will be closed to traffic for three days from tomorrow. The closure will run from the junction with Orchard Vale to the junction with Long Close, while National Grid carries out urgent repairs.

More from News

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
Friday 17th July

Plans have been submitted to build 30 new homes in Ashill. As the heatwave continues, a Somerset air conditioning business says demand for its services has never been higher. Morrisons has confirmed it will close its Glenthorne Avenue store in Yeovil on August 1st... and more
Thursday 16th July

Plans to build up to one hundred new homes on Yeovil's former cattle market have moved a step closer. It’s being made easier for parents in Somerset to register children for free school meals. Wessex Water says it has no plans for a hosepipe ban at the moment but is keeping a close eye on supplies as demand increases... and more
Wednesday 15th July

Bus passengers in Yeovil have been provided with easier access to the town's bus station. Firefighters are warning of an increased risk of wildfires because of the hot weather. Aldi is asking for public comments on plans to build a new food store in Chard... and more
Tuesday 14th July

A Martock machinery business has been bought out of administration saving the jobs of 15 employees. A Somerton man has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving after a car crashed into a house in Martock. Drivers are being reminded that the A303 between South Petherton and Ilminster will be closed in both directions overnight from tonight... and more