Wednesday 16th July

Wednesday, 16 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A children’s play area in Ilminster has been closed on safety grounds after badger setts were found on the land. Somerset Council sold off £90m of property assets last year to help fight off bankruptcy. Crewkerne Community Hospital could be turned into a neighbourhood health centre...and more.

A children’s play area in Ilminster has been closed on safety grounds after badger setts were found on the land. Checks at the Blackdown View play park revealed that badger activity in the area was rife. Somerset Council says that, due to badgers being protected, they’re unable to take any action to prevent them from digging further holes or to fill in the ones already dug.

Somerset Council sold off £90m of property assets last year to help fight off bankruptcy. The properties, bought to provide rental incomes by Somerset’s former district councils, include an office block in Taunton, a commercial unit in Gloucester, and a factory site in West Yorkshire. Somerset Council plan to raise a further £35m from property sales by March next year.

A school in Chard has been named best in Somerset for careers education. Manor Court Community Primary School was recognised for its outstanding approach to careers learning at the Somerset 2025 Careers Awards. Manor Court Primary School is part of the Preston Primary Academy Trust.

New gypsy and traveller sites could be allocated within the new Somerset Local Plan. Somerset Council says targets to address the permanent and transit site accommodation needs of the gypsy, traveller and travelling show-people communities of Somerset will be included in the new plan.. The Council is currently securing permanent transit sites for gypsies and travellers to incorporate within the new land-use policy.

Avon and Somerset Police has renewed its appeal for the return of stolen tools seized earlier in the year to their owners. Police say they still have a large number of unclaimed tools that they want to return to their rightful owners. Anyone making an application will need to provide the crime number given when reporting the theft, as proof of ownership.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust says it’s looking at turning Crewkerne Community Hospital into a neighbourhood health centre. If implemented, it would likely mean the hospital losing all 20 of its inpatient beds. Chief operating officer for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Andy Heron, says they’ll be talking to local people about the best mix of services for Crewkerne Community Hospital, which they think is ideally placed to become one of the new neighbourhood health centres envisaged in the NHS 10-Year Plan.

A musical event held in Chard has raised £500 for a cancer charity. The sell-out concert by Blackdown Acapella at The Guildhall was held in aid of Target Ovarian Cancer.

More from News

Friday 29th August

The Assistant Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police says she wants to instil trust in the force. Chard businesses are voicing their concerns after major roadworks started in the town. A farmer who produces potatoes for the crisp industry says the rainfall is welcome but yields will be down... and more.
Thursday 28th August

A Marston Magna man who fell ill on holiday has died. A film of Yeovil’s fundraiser for famine relief is being screened tonight, forty years on. A South Somerset contestant has been ranked fifth place at the World’s Strongest Man (Natural) contest...and more.
Wednesday 27th August

Concerns are being raised over the maintenance of the River Cary, following reports of planned cutbacks. It could be an earlier harvest for Somerset cider growers this autumn after a warm summer. The Teals Farm Shop has revealed plans to broaden its services...and more.
Tuesday 26th August

An investigation is underway after a man was found seriously injured in the Queensway Place area of Yeovil . A man has been charged with murder following an incident in South Petherton. Yeovil Town FC have confirmed that Mark Cooper has been relieved of his duties... and more.
Friday 22nd August

Six hundred parking spaces could be lost in Yeovil town centre if plans to build new homes on public car parks go ahead. The Environment Agency is to stop maintaining some rivers and streams in Somerset to save money. People in Somerset are being warned about a scam involving fake communications from the tax authorities...and more
Thursday 21st August

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says families and hospital staff should be given more information about re-opening maternity services at Yeovil Hospital. Yeovil’s renal unit on the Lynx West Trading Estate has been told it must improve on safety. Organisers of a Live Aid concert held in Yeovil 40 years ago are trying to contact the bands that played at the event for a reunion...and more.
Wednesday 20th August

The NHS says twenty-six thousand people in the South West signed up to stop smoking in the past twelve months. A teenager from Yeovil has raised more than four thousand pounds for a new dialysis machine at Bristol Children's Hospital. Yeovil Town take on Brackley Town in a National League fixture this evening, kick off at Huish Park is 7.45...and more
Tuesday 19th August

Families struggling to pay for their children to have breakfast over the summer holidays are being offered free breakfast bags at a church in Chard. Police are appealing for information after a sentimental gold pocket watch was stolen in North Petherton. A Bridgwater man sets off today on a 200-mile cycle ride to Barnstaple and Exeter, raising money for Kidney Research UK...and more.