Tuesday 28th July

Monday, 27 July 2026 at 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.

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Thursday 29th October

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Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

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Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

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