Wednesday 10th December

Wednesday, 10 December 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Avon and Somerset Police say 62 drivers were arrested in the first week of the Christmas drink and drug driving campaign. A reindeer farm near Yeovil thinks it may have to close after being told it needs a Zoo licence. Father Christmas has made a special delivery of presents to Charlton Farm Children's Hospice in Somerset...and more

Avon and Somerset Police say 62 drivers were arrested for being over the alcohol limit or for drug driving in the first week of the Christmas drink and drug driving campaign. That’s a 31% increase in arrests compared to the same period last year. The public is being asked to help take dangerous drivers off the road. If you suspect someone is unfit to drive, you should call 999 or report the matter at a police station.

A reindeer farm near Yeovil says it may have to close after being told it needs a Zoo licence to keep operating. For the past 14 years, Sarah Sutton has run the Somerset Reindeer Ranch at Chilthorne Domer with an Animal Activity licence, but after reindeers were reclassified as "dangerous and wild" Somerset Council say she needs a Zoo licence to stay open. Sarah says a Zoo Licence is unaffordable and that she will have to close the business unless reindeer farms are exempt from the ruling. Somerset Reindeer Ranch in Chilthorne Domer is open over the Christmas and New Year period.

Young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Somerset now have their own website. Yeovil-based SEND group The Unstoppables has launched an online platform for members and others to share ideas and experiences.

Work restoring the old windows of the Grade II-listed water tower pumphouse at Crewkerne railway station has been completed. The project, carried out by the Friends of Crewkerne Station, was initially intended to cover the boarded side of the Pumphouse, but expanded into a complete restoration after it was discovered that the original window frames were still in place beneath the boarding.

Father Christmas has made a special delivery of presents to Charlton Farm Children's Hospice in Somerset, arriving in a helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton.

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