Wednesday 28th January

Wednesday, 28 January 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced plans to develop a new operational base on the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil. Several people have been rescued from their homes in Ilminster due to flooding. An £800,000 project is underway to restore two staircases at Montecute House...and more

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced plans to develop a new operational base on the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil. The move to the Leonardo factory site will be subject to a public consultation and planning application, and take two years to complete. The decision by Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance to leave its current base at Henstridge follows the purchase of a second helicopter, which is due to enter service this summer.

Several people have been rescued from their homes in Ilminster due to flooding. Properties in Station Road were the worst hit, with 8 residents moved to temporary accommodation at the Minster Rooms at Court Barton. The Environment Agency says that with more rain forecast, the risk of flooding isn’t over.

An £800,000 project is underway to restore two staircases at Montecute House, which have been closed to the public due to safety concerns. The National Trust says the staircases, which form part of the original house built 400 years ago, could collapse if nothing is done. The work involves fitting steel reinforcements to the treads, with coverings, designed by a Somerset blacksmith, added to each step to prevent further erosion.

Plans for a car-free link between Wellington and Taunton have moved a step closer, with £8,000 allocated to produce a feasibility study. Pedestrians and cyclists travelling between the two towns rely on the A38, which is often congested. Now, local resident Charles Biscoe has launched a project to build a seven-mile-long pathway along the route of the former Grand Western Canal to connect Wellington and Taunton.

The Arrow Pub in Yeovil has shut for three weeks for major improvements. New large TV screens are being installed to create a grandstand-style viewing experience for sporting events. Dartboards and pool tables are being reintroduced, with the Arrow reopening on February 18th.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more