Wednesday 15th October

Wednesday, 15 October 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is to reopen within the next six months. There’s been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon theatre. No CrossCountry trains will run through Somerset this weekend due to planned industrial action by the RMT union...and more.

There’s relief in Yeovil following news that the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is to reopen within the next six months. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, says it plans to reopen the maternity unit, along with the Special Care Baby Unit, by April next year. Both units were closed in May following safety concerns.

There’s been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon theatre. Somerset Council had planned to submit its business case to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, requesting £15 million to refurbish the Octagon by the end of 2025. However, the Council now states that this will not occur until the scheme to upgrade the Octagon has been granted planning permission, which is not expected until the summer of next year. The Council says it plans to submit its final business case to the DCMS by the end of 2026, with the theatre reopening in 2029.

Volunteers are needed to help maintain a cycleway linking Ilminster with Chard. It follows a decision by Sustrans, which opened the path in 2008, to stop maintaining it. The path, known as the Stop Line Way, also acts as a bridleway from Ilminster to Peasmarsh.

A new self-referral service to detect the early signs of lung cancer has been launched in Somerset. The service, which is available in
Ilminster, Chard, and Langport are aimed at patients aged 40 and above with symptoms such as a persistent cough or breathlessness.

No CrossCountry trains will run through Somerset this weekend due to planned industrial action by members of the RMT union. They’re due to walk out for 24 hours on Saturday in a dispute over pay. Passengers planning to use Cross Country services this weekend are advised to check the Cross Country website before setting off.

A road in Closworth will be shut to traffic on Friday. Yeovil Road will close at its junction with Sutton Bingham Church Lane to allow Openreach to replace a telegraph pole.

More from News

Tuesday 14th October 2025

Film and TV crews have given Somerset's economy a £4 million boost in the last 12 months. Around 100 people have objected to plans to build 325 new homes in Crewkerne. Somerset Council is asking the public to report anyone they see sleeping rough...and more
Monday 13th October

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is urging people to join a campaign for improved support for children with dyslexia. An opposition Conservative member of Somerset Council says businesses will suffer a ‘terrible blow’ if plans go ahead to sell off five Yeovil town centre car parks. A Yeovil man has been jailed for three years... and more.
Friday 10th October

Union members at Leonardo sites across the UK, including in Yeovil, have voted to go on strike after rejecting a 3.2 percent pay offer. GWR has apologised for not providing a visually impaired Yeovil women with an escort to cross between platforms at Pen Mill station. A walnut grower in Somerset is calling on supermarkets to stop importing the nuts from aboard and to sell the ones he grows instead... and more
Thursday 9th October

Police are appealing for witnesses to a break-in at The Crossing Café on Preston Road in Yeovil. A Yeovil Pharmacist says a 70 percent of people booking an online covid jab are not eligible this year. A former doctor in Chard has won through to the semi-finals of BBC Mastermind...and more
Wednesday 8th October

A child safeguarding review is underway following the murder of a two-week-old baby boy at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset’s been chosen for a pilot scheme in which drones are used to monitor environmental emergencies. Yeovil nightclub, Club Neo in Stars Lane, has got a new owner and is changing its name... and more
Tuesday 7th October

Somerset Council says affordable homes built in the county will be given to people with a ‘local connection’ to the area. Emergency services were called to a single vehicle collision involving a Royal Mail van. A new audio installation has been recorded by local vocal groups for Montacute House this Christmas... and more.
Monday 6th October

A father who murdered his two-week-old baby son on Yeovil District Hospital’s neonatal ward has been jailed for life. A Yeovil man has been charged with attempted murder after a firearm incident. Plans are underway to turn an area of unused land in Chard into a community peace garden... and more.
Friday 3rd October

An investigation is underway following an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. Yeovil Town Council has written to adjoining parish and town councils asking for a financial contribution towards re-opening the Octagon theatre. Two Somerset beauty spots have been recognised with a top award... and more