Wednesday 6th August

Wednesday, 6 August 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A fire at the former Mermaid Hotel in Yeovil town centre is being treated as accidental. People with premium bonds in Somerset are being encouraged to check their numbers as over 800-thousand pounds of prizes remain unclaimed. Chard is set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day later this month...and more.

A fire at the former Mermaid Hotel in Yeovil town centre is being treated as accidental. Smoke was spotted coming from the property on the High Street at around 8.30 yesterday morning. The fire service says the building was empty at the time and suffered 100% smoke damage.

People with premium bonds in Somerset are being encouraged to check their numbers as over 800-thousand pounds of prizes remain unclaimed in the county by bondholders.

A farm near Chard has taken delivery of two Albion cows and their calves to start a breeding programme. Albion Cattle are considered critically endangered, with a national population of just 300. The animals have been given conservation land to graze on at Beetham Farm in Combe St Nicholas in the hope they will soon start to breed.

A couple in Martock, whose home was extensively damaged when a car drove into the front of it, have thanked the local people for their support. The house on Long Load Road was left in an unsafe state following the collision in early July. Owner, Mark Talbot-Phillips, says it will take at least a year to repair the damage.

Chard is set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day later this month. The war in the Far East claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 British soldiers and will be marked with a display and candlelight service at Chard Museum on Saturday, August 16th.

A Red Kite, considered at one time to be on the brink of extinction, has been spotted in Somerset. It was photographed flying above Maunsel Lock on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal near North Newton. The appearance of a Red Kite in Somerset is part of a wider pattern of sightings across the UK.

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Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more