Wednesday 17th December

Wednesday, 17 December 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’ in her constituency in the run-up to Christmas. It follows numerous complaints about parcels not arriving on time and being left in the wrong place. One resident claims that a parcel was left in a flowerbed, and another found her parcel on the side of the road. Ms Dyke has now written to Evri's chief executive demanding an urgent investigation.

Demand for the South Western Ambulance Service's mental health support is at record levels, with around a quarter of its staff seeking help in the past year. It comes as figures suggest emergency responders are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition than the general population, with blue light workers at a higher risk of suicide than other groups.

The government is preparing to launch a consultation on banning trail hunting. Somerset’s hunts switched to trail hunting when the pursuit of foxes was banned 20 years ago. But critics, including some senior police officers, say it’s being used as a smoke screen for illegal hunting.

A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking. Theo Roberts set himself the challenge of collecting one large bag of rubbish every day for 100 days to raise money for the environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage. In that time, he has collected more than 340kg of waste and raised more than £2,300 for the charity.

Well done to Martock Charity Shop for reaching half a million pounds in donations to children’s charities in the South West since it opened in 2006. The independent charity shop at 3 North Street is run entirely by unpaid trustees, committee members, and volunteers, and donates to a range of good causes, including schools, children's hospices, children's hospitals, and neonatal units.

More from News

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more