Wednesday 19th March

Wednesday, 19 March 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A new report says survival rates from ovarian cancer in Somerset are among the best in England. Farmers say it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed due to criminal gangs using farmland for illegal hare coursing. A Victorian chemist shop, originally situated on the High Street in South Petherton, is being moved to a theme park in County Durham...and more

A new report says survival rates from ovarian cancer in Somerset are among the best in England. Somerset’s success is attributed to patients being diagnosed quicker, and treatments being made available locally, avoiding the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment.

Following an Ofsted inspection, Little Beeches Nursery in Crewkerne has been rated ‘Good’. The nursery at Maiden Beech Academy was praised for its education and management quality.

Fourteen new detectives have started work at Avon and Somerset Police. The officers, recruited from the Police National Training Academy, will investigate complex cases within the Criminal Investigation Department.

Somerset Council is being asked to allow people with learning disabilities to use concessionary bus passes at all times. Bus users are campaigning for the change after Bath and North East Somerset confirmed that concessionary passes, held by people with learning disabilities, can be used at all times. Somerset Council says it has no plans at the moment to change the guidelines for using concessionary bus passes.

Farmers say it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed due to criminal gangs using farmland for illegal hare coursing. Avon and Somerset Police has increased patrols in the Mendip area following an increase in illegal hare coursing by organized gangs.

A 20-year-old cherry orchard at a farm in Chard has been cut down due to the owner's retirement. The owners of Whitehouse Farm in Knowle Lane say after “much consideration” they have decided to grub the orchard after failing to find someone to take over running the orchard.

A Victorian chemist shop, originally situated on the High Street in South Petherton, is moving to County Durham. The inside and front of the shop was collapsed and re-built as part of a Victorian village at Flambards theme park in Helston that closed last year. Now, the village display, including the chemist shop from South Petherton, is being moved to an attraction in Bishop Auckland.

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