Tuesday 31st March

Tuesday, 31 March 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council says it doesn’t have the money to install solar panels on the roof of the Octagon Theatre. Three men have been charged in connection with an investigation into a hunt in Somerset. Changes have been announced to the times of waste collections in Somerset over the Easter holidays... and more

Somerset Council says it doesn’t have the money to install solar panels on the roof of the Octagon Theatre under its impending £15m regeneration. Planning permission was granted in February to update the theatre, which includes significant improvements to the auditorium and backstage area. However, the new theatre will not include solar panels or heat pumps due to a lack of funds. Somerset Council is expected to appoint a contractor to carry out the work by November, with construction beginning in January 2027.

Three men have been charged in connection with an investigation into a hunt in Somerset. Ross Cordery, from Highbridge; Wayne Greggory, from Taunton; and James Parish, from Uffculme in Devon, have all been charged under the Hunting Act 2004 with hunting a wild mammal with dogs. It follows an investigation by the Rural Crime Team into a planned hunt by the Vale of Taunton and Banwell Harriers Hunt in November last year.

The Environment Agency says it is looking into installing permanent pumps at 11 new locations on the Somerset Levels. It follows pressure on the agency from the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium for further permanent pumps on the Levels to prevent a repeat of this winter’s severe flooding. The Flooding on the Levels Action Group has also called for more permanent pumps to be installed, rather than relying on the Environment Agency to bring in temporary pumps.

People living in Milborne Port say new charges introduced by Dorset Council to use the recycling centre at Sherborne are unfair. It is only four miles from where they live, whereas the nearest recycling centre run by Somerset Council—to whom they pay council tax—is 11 miles away in Yeovil. The new charge of £8.50 per visit at the Sherborne site came into effect this week.

Changes have been announced to the times of waste collections in Somerset over the Easter holidays. Collections due on Good Friday, April 3, will instead take place on Saturday, April 4. No collections will take place on Easter Monday, April 6th. During the following week, all collections will take place one day later than usual. Recycling sites will move to new opening times of 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm at weekends from Wednesday, April 1st.

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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