Tuesday 5th August

Tuesday, 5 August 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A college merger in Somerset has created one of the largest education groups in the UK. People in Somerset are being encouraged to report drivers who misuse disabled parking bays. A D-Day veteran from Somerset is celebrating his 100th birthday this week...and more

A college merger in Somerset has created one of the largest education groups in the UK. Bridgwater and Taunton College and Strode College have joined forces to form the University Somerset College Group, in a move aimed at enhancing educational and employment opportunities across the region.

People in Somerset are being encouraged to report drivers who misuse disabled parking bays at supermarkets. The charity Disabled Motoring UK has launched a survey to assess the difficulties faced by disabled drivers when trying to access suitable parking.

A website has been set up with details of around 40 suspects still wanted across five police areas, including in Somerset, in connection with the Southport Riots. Police want to speak to several people they suspect of taking part in rioting, not just in Southport but in other towns and cities, following the murders of three girls at a dance class in Southport.

Land to complete Chard's long-awaited relief road will be protected under revised plans for a new housing development. The relief road is intended to take pressure off the Convent Link junction and enable new homes to be built within the Chard eastern development area, but so far, only one section has been delivered, between the A30 and Chard Reservoir as part of the Oaklands development. Now, revised plans for a new housing development have set aside land for the northernmost section of the relief road, with Somerset Council expected to decide on the plans before the end of the year.

A Somerset farmer has taken to using social media to show how the industry works, warts and all. Dom Northmore from Lane End Farm at Axbridge regularly posts behind-the-scenes footage on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok of life on his farm. Dom says he wants to improve people’s understanding of farming and its challenges.

A D-Day veteran from Somerset is celebrating his 100th birthday this week. Donald Butt, who lives in West Pennard, was a Royal Marine in WW2 and fought on Juno Beach.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more