THE UK’s largest opticians and audiologists, Specsavers, has suspended all routine testing for the foreseeable future to focus on essential and urgent care only.
‘We may be closing our stores for business as usual, but will remain open for care, particularly for key workers. Our desire is to continue to provide essential and urgent services to the communities we serve, as well as online and telephone advice for those who need it,’ says CEO John Perkins.
‘Guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of our customers and our colleagues has to be our priority so we will only open...
Despite devastating natural disasters or deadly viruses and often because of them, dedicated authors keep on writing and producing books for their readers' pleasure.
Former Exeter College student Fay Knowles (nee Johanson) has just released "Deadly Deceit In Paradise", Book Two in her Buchanan Mystery Romance Series (her sixth published book). The first in the series is "Dangerous Devotion" (formerly "Love at Sunset").
"Deadly Deceit In Paradise" tells how a mysterious death in paradise leads a young woman down a path that will determine her future. Natalie Barrett flies...
Social care and social work teams at Devon County Council are redeploying staff from non-critical services to essential frontline services in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
It’s to ensure that vulnerable people, young or old, are able to continue accessing the services they need.
Customer service staff at Care Direct, which is the route for adults into Devon County Council’s social work services, have seen telephone calls rise sharply over the last few weeks, as the public comes to terms with the impact of the virus. They’ve taken hundreds of calls from vulnerable...
Daisy Griffith is now leading the most popular regional news bulletin in the country, Spotlight, which reaches more than 50 per cent of the South West each week.
Meanwhile Emma Clements is running BBC Radio Cornwall, a station with more than 100,000 weekly listeners.
Stephanie Marshall, head of the BBC in the South West and West, said the experienced journalists would bring “diligence and creativity”, particularly during a "critical time for the the South West and the UK as a whole".
The new appointments came as the coronavirus began to sweep through the UK....
Libraries Unlimited has announced that libraries across Devon will temporarily close from Friday 20 March, in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Across the county, library staff are trying to continue to provide library services in different ways.
In Exeter, they are trialling ‘books by post’. Others will be providing online sessions such as Bounce & Rhyme, reading groups, and story times. There will be IT help, provided remotely.
Staff will be checking in by telephone with customers who they know to be vulnerable and needing social contact.
In order to help residents parking outside their homes while working from home or self-isolating during the Coronavirus outbreak, the County Council’s parking enforcement teams will reduce enforcement on certain roads – although double yellow lines will still be enforced.
Changes to routine patrols will enable officers to concentrate their efforts on keeping key routes running normally.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “We must keep the network moving but we also recognise the concerns in residential areas where...
Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards is warning people to be wary of suspicious emails as fraudsters attempt to exploit the spread of coronavirus.
Since last month the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has identified 21 reports across Britain where coronavirus was mentioned with victims losing over £800,000 in total.
Ten of these reports were made by victims attempting to purchase protective face masks from fraudulent sellers. In one instance a victim reported losing more than £15,000.
None of the reports have been in the Devon, Somerset or Torbay area....
A turf cutting has been held to mark the start of the first phase of the £13 million Devon County Council scheme upgrading the A382 at Newton Abbot.
Work is currently underway on earthwork, vegetation clearance and utility service diversion as part of the improvements to the link from Newton Abbot to the A38 at Drumbridges roundabout.
The project involves realigning and widening the route between Forches Cross and Whitehill Cross, and a new roundabout will be developed at Ringslade Road.
The upgraded road will improve safety and provide additional capacity to...
The world’s number one selling brand in home pregnancy and fertility tests has donated pregnancy kits – for orang utans.
The Clearblue brand helps over 20 million women every year – and now, a couple of broody female Bornean orang utans… Keepers at Paignton Zoo in Devon approached Clearblue because they hope their orang utans will breed this year.
Senior Head Keeper of Mammals Rob Rouse said: “We now have a male who is old enough to breed. As part of the European Endangered species Programme for Bornean orang utans, we’d like them to be trying for babies, but we need to...
A local development order (LDO) is being proposed for district heating networks in the area to the east of Exeter, in and around the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone.
The LDO is a way for East Devon District Council, as the Local Planning Authority, to put in place a simplified planning system by granting planning consent for development as specified. LDOs encourage economic development and investment by improving the speed and predictability of development proposals.
If it is approved, the LDO means underground pipework and small units above-ground could be installed...
