Wednesday 30th July

Wednesday, 30 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The fire service says they still don’t know what caused Monday’s major shop fire in Yeovil. A safeguarding review is being carried out into the case of Daniel Gunter, who was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court last week of murdering his two-week-old baby son at Yeovil Hospital. National convenience store chain, Costcutter, has taken over the empty YMCA charity shop in Middle Street in Yeovil for a new store...and more

The fire service says they still don’t know what caused Monday’s major shop fire in Yeovil. It happened at the premises of Blaze Away in Beer Street, causing extensive damage to the terrace property. Fire crews from seven towns spent more than 10 hours putting out the flames, with Beer Street and Seaton Road closed to traffic for most of the day.

A safeguarding review is to be carried out following the case of Daniel Gunter, who was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court last week of murdering his two-week-old baby son at Yeovil Hospital. Brendon Staddon died of multiple injuries while in the special care baby unit at Yeovil Hospital in March last year. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust says the review will "thoroughly examine all the circumstances”.

Plans to open a new NHS diagnostic centre in Bridgwater have moved a step closer. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has been approved to construct the facility next to Bridgwater Community Hospital. The centre will provide a range of services, including two CT scanners and two MRI scanners, and is due to open next summer.

Giant sunflowers grown from seed by children at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have gone on display in the town. As part of the Sunflowers of Somerset project, the children have built a bed of sunflowers in the Minster churchyard.

National convenience store chain, Costcutter, has taken over the empty YMCA charity shop in Middle Street in Yeovil for a new store. Costcutter is currently advertising for staff to work in the new store, which is due to open in September.

The Three Horseshoes pub in Batcombe has been shortlisted for a South West Pub of the Year Award. Also shortlisted is The Acorn Inn at Evershot. To vote in this year’s competition, go to the Food Lifestyle magazine website.

More from News

Tuesday 29th July

Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. Somerset Council says it's dealing with a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications. Ninety thousand pounds has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset...and more
Monday 28th July

A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
Friday 25th July

A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
Thursday 24th July

Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Wednesday 23rd July

Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
Tuesday 22nd July

Somerset Community Foundation has launched a "Together for West Somerset Appeal" to help families affected by last Thursday's school coach crash on Exmoor. People in Somerset are being encouraged to improve their recycling of food waste. Free family cooking sessions are being held in Chard. A new children’s soft play area is soon to open in Yeovil...and more
Monday 21st July

A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more
Friday 18th July

EDF has completed another milestone in constructing the new 'Hinkley C' nuclear power plant near Bridgwater. The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire opens today with helicopters built in Yeovil on display. A road leading to Chard reservoir, shut two months ago for strengthening work to a dam wall, has re-opened...and more