Thursday 21st May

Thursday, 21 May 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are being asked to cut the time the M5 is closed following accidents. Plans to build a major solar farm near Chard have been thrown out. Aldi is asking shoppers to help find locations for new stores in Somerset...and more

Avon and Somerset Police says it’s doing all it can to reduce the amount of time the M5 is closed following serious accidents. The force says motorway incidents are often highly complex and require thorough investigation work, with the average closure currently lasting around four-and-a-quarter hours. The comments come after Somerset Council called on both National Highways and the police to improve the situation and minimise disruption for drivers.

Plans for a major solar farm near Chard have been thrown out following a public inquiry. Greentech Invest UK Limited had proposed building the development off Chard Lane in Wayford. The site would have covered around sixty-four acres and generated enough electricity to power an estimated four-thousand-seven-hundred homes over the next forty years. But planning inspector John Longmuir has ruled the project should not go ahead, saying it would have an intrusive impact on the protected surrounding countryside.

A man from Donyatt has been sentenced after punching a woman, assaulting two police officers, and directing racist abuse towards them. Twenty-eight-year-old Liam Watson, of Donyatt Hill, admitted the offences at an earlier hearing in Yeovil. At Taunton Magistrates’ Court he was fined seven-hundred pounds, handed a twelve-month community order, and ordered to pay one-hundred pounds compensation to each victim.

A Yeovil councillor has stepped down from Somerset Council’s executive committee. Graham Oakes, who representes Yeovil East and held responsibility for public health, climate change and the environment, says his decision was taken for non-political reasons. His duties have been passed to Councillor Evie Potts-Jones, who represents Yeovil West.

Aldi is asking shoppers in Somerset to help identify potential locations for new stores. The supermarket says it’s investing more than three-hundred-and-seventy million pounds in expansion this year as part of plans to grow to fifteen-hundred stores across the UK. Aldi says suggested locations in Somerset will be reviewed as part of its nationwide search for new sites.

More from News

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
Tuesday 26th May

A Martock agricultural machinery business has gone into administration, putting around thirty jobs at risk. A new sensory room has opened at a Yeovil schook to support neurodiverse pupils. The headteacher of a Chard primary school is stepping down... and more
Friday 22nd May

The National Farmers Union in Somerset has welcomed the government’s new trade deal with six Gulf countries. Campaigners say Somerset’s canals and locks are in urgent need new investment. The Liverpool comedian John Bishop is heading to Somerset later this year...and more
Wednesday 20th May

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their cholesterol checked to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with using threatening behaviour. A gardener from Somerset has won a silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show... and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Somerset car boot business says it will no longer accept twenty-pound notes after being handed counterfeit notes.Taunton Flower Show is warning this year’s event could be its last. Numatic, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, have invested one-and-a-half million pounds installing new solar panels at their factory in Chard... and more
Monday 18th May

The RSPCA is investigating after eleven newborn puppies were abandoned in Snowdon Park in Chard. Major funding has been announced for a new two-year arts programme in Yeovil. Plans have been unveiled to improve sports facilities at Somerton Recreation Ground...and more