NHS hospitals in the South West face rising pressure from flu and norovirus, with bed closures and patient numbers increasing, warns NHS England.

It’s never too late to start exercising. Research shows over-60s in the UK can boost strength, fitness and wellbeing with simple exercise routines.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service seeks public input on its new community risk management plan. Have your say in the online survey.

Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal seeks £20,000 in Somerset to fund end-of-life care. Volunteer or donate to support terminally ill people and families.

Thousands of Somerset residents will continue to receive support for alcohol and drug dependency after a new multi-million-pound contract was agreed

Gallery of photographs showing the frost and cold weather in Somerset in January 2026

Discover the Ritz Cinema Burnham-on-Sea film schedule for 16–22 January, including Hamnet, 28 Years Later, family films, and NT Live: Hamlet. Book tickets now.

Somerset Council launches its first annual Food Survey for adults to shape healthier lifestyles. Share your food habits for a chance to win a £100 voucher.

PV Transport Ltd has applied to add an HGV operating centre at Invictor House, Highbridge. Submit representations to the Traffic Commissioner by 3 Feb 2026.

A 30mph speed limit will be in place for two months on the Edithmead roundabout near junction 22 of the M5 as work to upgrade the site begins

Somerset Council is investing up to £20m in the next stage of its transformation programme - but auditors have warned it is going too slowly

Marks and Spencer has put out a wish list of 500 areas across the UK as part of its new ‘potential location list’ - here's the full 500 and plans for 20 to open this spring

NHS South West urges eligible residents to book COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccines as cases rise. Appointments available at GP surgeries and pharmacies.

St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset raises record £47,000 with Christmas tree collection, recycling 2,700 trees for hospice care with help from local volunteers.

The leader of Reform UK in Somerset wants to withhold funding from the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) in a bid to reduce council tax bills

Crews from four Somerset fire stations were called to a property in Burnham-on-Sea, with road closures put in place while emergency services responded.

I am not easily offended. Yet I am being seriously offended by people’s endless complaints about being offended.

Fireaway Pizza, a popular pizza chain with multiple locations in Somerset, is giving away 5,000 free pizzas to customers nationwide for 'Blue Monday'.

Somerset MPs have joined forces in a bid to prevent council tax bills from rising by up to 11 per cent when Somerset Council sets its annual budget

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service rescued one adult from a flat after receiving reports of smoke issuing from a flat in Cheddar.

Councillor John Cook-Woodman has become the third Conservative councillor in Somerset to defect to Reform UK in the last 12 months

The whole of Somerset is set to be battered by a new yellow weather warning lasting nearly all day, according to the Met Office.

The report comes as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has warned that fuel margins remain high, leaving drivers paying too much

Brean Down Fort explosion: Gunner Billy Haines' 1900 tragedy echoes in modern geopolitics, with Trump, Greenland, and Orwell’s 1984 shaping global tensions.

Met Office forecasts changeable weather in Burnham-on-Sea this week, with rain, sunny intervals, wind gusts up to 22mph, and temperatures from 1°C to 11°C.

Modern three-bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Highbridge, with EPC B, garden, parking, and commuter links. £270,000.

Police have closed a stretch of the M5 after a crash in Gloucestershire which has caused severe delays and disruption in Somerset.

The government has said it "has no plans to reduce the school week to four days" in a response to a petition signed by more than 126,000 people.

Somerset Council has scored highly in the Department for Transport's new scoring system for road maintenance

Statistics released by the BBC Shared Data Unit show that teen drug treatment in Somerset is among the highest in England.

Royal Mail and Post Office have joined forces to introduce 24/7 parcel lockers across the UK.

HMRC has issued a statement after calls to double pensioners' personal allowance and a petition signed by more than 45,000 people.

Taunton’s Firepool regeneration, new park and ride on the A38, empty shops, and the future of the Willow Man sculpture - Clinton Rogers' hopes for Somerset in 2026.

Discover events in Burnham and Bridgwater this week, including free pottery workshops, local history talks, acoustic jams, and Hëlenbach at The Cobblestones.

The traffic lights at the puffin crossing on the B3140 Love Lane in Burnham-on-Sea (near the Tesco supermarket) will be replaced in the coming weeks

Greggs has reportedly increased the price of its sausage rolls by 5p (to £1.35) and regular lattes by 10p (to £2.25).

Nestle Jungly chocolate bars, which have been likened to discontinued Animal Bars, are back at Home Bargains for £1.49.

Keeping your shower clean is important, so staying on top of soap scum is key. Here is a good way of removing it without aggresive scrubbing.

Burnham and Highbridge Town Council has invited local businesses to apply for a Shop Front Grants Scheme to make visual improvements to their shop fronts.

Gallery of photographs from Somerset Camera Club early in 2026

The Surviving Winter Appeal by Somerset Community Foundation has raised £50,000 to help older people in Somerset with heating costs and fuel poverty support.

A neglected dog who came into RSPCA care severely underweight in Burnham-on-Sea has one New Year’s wish - a new home!

28 Years Later, a Hollywood film that was partially set in Somerset, has been nominated for one of the biggest awards in film.

Work is set to get underway for a new bund at Priory Gardens in Burnham-on-Sea.

Two planning applications have been submitted for a former church to become a dental surgery in Wedmore, Somerset.

Items sold at Lidl, Waitrose, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, B&M and Poundland and more UK supermarkets have been recalled with “do not eat” warnings in place.

The NSPCC seeks volunteers in Somerset and North Devon to deliver safeguarding workshops in primary schools. Full training provided.

Strength training slows muscle loss, boosts bone health and prevents falls as you age. Discover why lifting weights benefits UK adults of all ages.

Somerset Council must legally let its annual budget by March 11 - and between now and then, many difficult decisions will have to be taken

A new two-day yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office warning of ice across the whole of Somerset and North Somerset.