Wednesday 5th August

Wednesday, 5 August 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner is backing the wider use of police drones in towns like Yeovil to help tackle crime. Visitor numbers at Somerset's tourist attractions are down by around sixty per cent so far this year. A gardening expert says it'll take much more than the occasional shower to revive Somerset's parched lawns, parks and open spaces...and more

Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clare Moody, has backed the wider use of police drones in towns like Yeovil to help tackle crime. She's welcomed a pilot scheme in Norfolk where officers are using drones to catch shoplifters and deal with anti-social behaviour. Ms Moody says the technology could become an important tool in keeping communities safe.

Somerset Council is selling one of its tenanted farms as part of efforts to raise money. Pond Farm, near Chard, includes a bungalow, farm buildings and eighty-three acres of land. The council says the property is being offered for sale in three separate lots on the open market.

Visitor numbers at Somerset's tourist attractions are down by around sixty per cent so far this year, according to Visit Somerset. The organisation has also recorded a fifteen per cent drop in enquiries through its website. Tourism contributes around fifty-five million pounds to the county's economy each year. Visit Somerset's Chief Executive, John Turner, says the figures are disappointing.

A Yeovil man is due to appear in court next month facing three charges, including being the owner of a dangerously out-of-control dog that allegedly attacked a man. Leyton Gale, of Monmouth Road, is also charged with assaulting a police officer in the execution of their duty and with criminal damage following an incident in St Michael's Road. No pleas were entered when the case was heard before magistrates in Yeovil.

A gardening expert says it'll take much more than the occasional shower to revive Somerset's parched lawns, parks and open spaces. After what's been described as the driest July on record, Michael Griffiths, author of The Easy Garden, says sustained rainfall will be needed before the county starts turning green again.

More from News

Tuesday 4th August

A Somerset doctor is calling for better community eye care. People in Glastonbury and Street are benefiting from a new bus service to Castle Cary railway station. A sailor from South Petherton is celebrating after sailing around the world... and more
Monday 3rd August

A yellow Heat Health Alert is in force across Somerset today. The swimming and leisure centre in Street remains closed following last Thursday's flooding in the plant room. Plans for a new primary school in Chard have been delayed until at least 2030... and more
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.