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 17th July

Plans have been submitted to build 30 new homes in Ashill. As the heatwave continues, a Somerset air conditioning business says demand for its services has never been higher. Morrisons has confirmed it will close its Glenthorne Avenue store in Yeovil on August 1st... and more
Thursday 16th July

Plans to build up to one hundred new homes on Yeovil's former cattle market have moved a step closer. It’s being made easier for parents in Somerset to register children for free school meals. Wessex Water says it has no plans for a hosepipe ban at the moment but is keeping a close eye on supplies as demand increases... and more
Wednesday 15th July

Bus passengers in Yeovil have been provided with easier access to the town's bus station. Firefighters are warning of an increased risk of wildfires because of the hot weather. Aldi is asking for public comments on plans to build a new food store in Chard... and more
Tuesday 14th July

A Martock machinery business has been bought out of administration saving the jobs of 15 employees. A Somerton man has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving after a car crashed into a house in Martock. Drivers are being reminded that the A303 between South Petherton and Ilminster will be closed in both directions overnight from tonight... and more
Monday 13th July

Somerset Council says it's lost £91 million on commercial property investments. The former Clay Pigeon Karting Track near Yeovil is to be turned into a holiday park. The fire service is warning the dry conditions continue to pose a risk of grass fires... and more
Friday 10th July

The inquest into the death of a sex offender has returned an open conclusion. A driver has been arrested after a pursuit across the county. Ilminster Arts Centre has held its 2026 Open Exhibition Prize Giving Event... and more
Thursday 9th July

A father who shook his baby to death has been convicted of murder. Local people at high risk of having oesophageal cancer can take part in a new NHS test. Cheddar Reservoir will be closed to the public until next Monday morning because of the extreme heat... and more
Wednesday 8th July

NHS Somerset is warning us to take care as a new amber heat-health alert comes into place. A Yeovil encampment of campervans could soon be evicted. Chard’s former Oscar Mayer site could become home to a new Aldi... and more