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 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