Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service has been presented with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA) top health and safety award.

The award acknowledges the high standard of health & safety management within the Service and a high level of dedication from staff to improve health, safety and welfare systems.

Chief Fire Officer Lee Howell received the ‘Diamond’ award from RoSPA at Service Headquarters. He said: “We are all aware that we work in a potentially dangerous environment sometimes. As such we need to ensure that we are doing all that...

One of the ducks in the Walled Garden Pets Corner at Powderham Castle has hatched out 6 gorgeous fluffy chicks. This is a surprise, not only due to the unusual timing, but also due the fact that ducks aren’t known to be the best surrogate parents!

Exeter householders who want to install solar panels on their roof, but don’t have the cash up front to pay for them, can now access ‘green energy’ finance that enables them to not only purchase a system, but also keep all of the energy saving and Feed-in Tariff (FiT) benefits.

The scheme, which has been launched by Exeter-based SunGift Solar, means that not only will Feed-in Tariff cash and electricity savings meet householders’ finance repayments, but also the measures will earn them an additional £18,000 over 20 years.

“These loans are a breakthrough for homeowners in...

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has spoken of his delight after another member of his squad today agreed a new contract extension with the Aviva Premiership club. Follow the lead of a number of his team-mates, full-back Luke Arscott is the latest name to commit his future to the Chiefs until the summer of 2015. Signed by Baxter following Exeter’s promotion into the top flight back in the summer of 2010, Arscott has quickly established himself as a key figure within the Devon club’s backline. With 63 appearances for the club, Arscott is indeed a prized asset within the Chiefs ranks and...

The A379 Teignmouth Road in Dawlish is partially blocked in both directions between the John Nash Drive junction and the Fordens Lane junction, because of a landslip.

There is also slow traffic on the A377 inbound in Exeter from Alphington Junction to Exe Bridges.

However, the good news is that the earlier lane closure on A38 Haldon Hill westbound between the A380 junction in Kenn and the B3344 junction in Heathfield due to a broken down vehicle has now cleared.

With just a few days to go before Christmas, John Lewis Exeter has revealed its top selling gifts for the festive period, with shoppers in Devon favouring luxury gifts and technology must haves.

The Nespresso U Coffee Machine, which offers perfect espresso at the touch of a button, and the Edinburgh Preserves Condiment For Steak gift set, which includes sauces to complement steak, are proving popular for gifts this Christmas.

However, the new Kindle Fire, which features a 7” touchscreen perfect for browsing, watching, playing and reading content, is the shop’s biggest...

A plethora of jump racing stars were set to line up in the re-routed Levy Board Peterborough Chase, which was due to take place at Exeter Racecourse on Thursday (Dec 20th), but with yet more heavy rain affecting parts of the region, the day's racing has had to be abandoned due to a waterlogged racecourse.

The Met Office says up to 60mm of rain will fall in some areas. This additional rainfall, is likely to affect other parts of the county with property flooding from rivers and surface water as well as disruption to road and rail networks.

People are being urged to keep up...

Devon and Cornwall Police are warning members of the public not to put themselves in danger and to keep away from flood relief, rivers, and streams as poor weather is predicted.

The advice comes after a man was pulled from a flood relief channel by a police officer and a member of the public in Exeter at around 3.00 a.m. on Saturday 15 December 2012. Fortunately, the channel was fairly empty with water only a couple of feet deep but the walls were 10 to 12 feet high making escape almost impossible.

The man was then taken to hospital by ambulance suffering with the effects...

The Crediton police team have congratulated the industrious group of volunteers who have set up the Newton-St-Cyres Neighbourhood Health Watch community scheme.

Since September this year, nearly 40 members of the local community have dedicated themselves to getting the scheme off the ground.

PC Keith Bradshaw and PCSO Lisa Crocker have worked closely with the group to help support its work. They have attended regular meetings, liaising closely with the local community and its volunteers to help ensure a smooth launch.

Neighbourhood Health Watch brings together local...

Children have extra reason to celebrate this Christmas with the re-opening of a children's play area.

The play space is tucked away off Quarry Park Road in the Broadfields area, and is heavily used by many pupils from Walter Daw Primary School which is located immediately adjacent to the site.

Although well used, the site was in need of some attention as most of the play equipment was either showing its age, or had already reached the end of its useful life and been removed.

The refurbishment has seen the installation of a new multi-play unit providing opportunities...