Monday 30th March

Monday, 30 March 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Avon and Somerset Police say its armed officers attended 2,700 incidents in Somerset last year. Plans have been submitted to build 40 new homes in Curry Rivel. South Western Ambulance is offering free CPR and defibrillator training to help improve cardiac arrest survival rates...and more

Avon and Somerset Police say its armed officers attended 2,700 incidents in Somerset last year. New data shows that, on average, there were 231 incidents a month attended by firearms officers in Somerset in 2025. The data does not equate to the number of incidents in which firearms were used or involved.

Plans have been submitted to build 40 new homes off Maple Road in Curry Rivel. Fourteen of the homes will be affordable, meeting Somerset Council's target of 35 per cent affordable housing for any new development of ten homes or more. Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the application within the next six months.

Eight hundred thousand pounds is being spent dredging rivers in Somerset to prevent flooding. Somerset Rivers Authority says it is also spending one hundred thousand pounds on removing vegetation from the River Isle near Donyatt to prevent flooding on the A358.

Over the Easter weekend, a stretch of track on the West of England Rail Line through Somerset will be closed for rail replacement works. From Friday, April 3rd, to Monday, April 6th, trains from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids will terminate at Yeovil Junction. Buses will replace trains to Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton and Exeter St Davids.

South Western Ambulance is offering free CPR and defibrillator training to help improve cardiac arrest survival rates. Data shows that only one in ten people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, a statistic the ambulance service believes can be improved through community education. Organisations interested in hosting a session should visit the South Western Ambulance website to make a booking.

The Mendip Hills National Landscape is offering young people the chance to become Young Rangers. Volunteers will take part in activities each month, including navigation skills, conservation tasks and dry-stone walling.

More from News

Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more
Tuesday 2nd June

Somerset Prostate Cancer Support Group says a decision not to introduce mass screening for prostate cancer is the wrong one. A Martock woman has been banned from driving for 28 months. Somerset Council is marking Volunteers’ Week by thanking the volunteers who help deliver council services... and more
Monday 1st June

People in Somerset with Football Banning Orders are being reminded they must surrender their passports by the end of today ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament. A road in Yeovil will close for nine days later this week. Farmers from Somerset were among the winners of this year's ITV Britain's Got Talent final...and more
Friday 29th May

South Western Ambulance Service is struggling to cope after a surge in 999 calls during the hot weather. Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke says a shortage of rental homes is making it harder for rural employers to attract workers. The National Trust is warning that changing weather patterns are making it difficult to maintain the Cerne Abbas Giant... and more
Thursday 28th May

People are being asked to take extra care in parks and open spaces as high temperatures and dry conditions increase the risk of fire. Plans to build hundreds of new homes in Yeovil can now go ahead after a High Court challenge by Mudford Parish Council was dismissed. A Somerset bakery chain has sparked a reaction after it stopped making iced buns... and more
Wednesday 27th May

The UK Health Security Agency has increased its heat health alert for Somerset to amber. Trading Standards officers have shut down three shops in Taunton after illegal cigarettes and vapes were discovered on the premises. Bridgwater Town Council is considering running its own bus services...and more