After some years of the River Somer in the High Street being maintained by a group of volunteers, Midsomer Norton Town Council has now appointed Stonebarn Landscapes, from Chew Magna, to carry out a series of regular clearance and management tasks.

The contract was awarded earlier in June, after being publicised early in 2016. Work is due to begin on the first clearance of growing plants which seem to have been even more vigorous this year. The contract will run for one year with the option of extending it if the project is successful.

“It’s been a very challenging project to secure the right contractor, but we’re now

confident that we have the resource in place to manage more closely what is probably the town’s most iconic feature,” said a Town Council spokesperson.