Tuesday 7th April

Tuesday, 7 April 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council has set aside three hundred and seventy thousand pounds to keep open five leisure centres in the Mendip area. Watercombe Lane in Yeovil is set to close for thirty-one days for gas mains replacement works. It’s been announced that Martock will stage a Pride event in June...and more

Somerset Council has set aside three hundred and seventy thousand pounds to keep five leisure centres in the Mendip area open. It follows the announcement that Fusion Leisure, which operates centres in Wells, Glastonbury and Street, along with Shepton Mallet Lido, has gone into administration. Somerset Council owns sixteen leisure facilities, which are managed through contracts with various companies.

Watercombe Lane in Yeovil is set to close for thirty-one days for gas mains replacement works. The closure will affect a one hundred and sixteen metre stretch, from the junction with Preston Road to the junction with Westbourne Grove, from Monday April 13th until Wednesday May 13th. Meanwhile, a road in Montacute will close to traffic for five days later this month. Townsend will shut at its junction with Park View from Monday April 13th to Friday April 17th for Wessex Water to carry out repairs.

It’s been announced that Martock will stage a Pride event in June. Taking place on Saturday June 20th, it will be the second year the village has hosted the event, celebrating LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion.

New data shows the crane population on the Somerset Levels has risen again. The Somerset’s Levels and Moors are part of an ongoing project to increase numbers. There are now eighty-seven breeding pairs of cranes, bringing the total population across the UK to around two hundred and fifty.

Family and friends of a boy from Ilminster, who is on a waiting list for a heart transplant, have raised four thousand pounds for the hospital treating him. Cameron Manning was born with a rare heart condition affecting his ventricles and heart valves. His family, along with a group of friends, held a charity bingo event at the Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster, with all proceeds going to the Wallace and Gromit Children’s Unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital.

More from News

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
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
Thursday 21st May

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
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