Business Daily

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is asking residents to heed warnings not to enter floodwater, as it could put themselves and others at risk.

Fire crews were called to several incidents where vehicles were stuck in floodwater to carry out rescues over the festive period. On 3 January, a cyclist was rescued in Newton Abbot after getting into difficulty near a swollen river.

A yellow weather warning for rain covering parts of Devon and Somerset has been issued by the Met Office as heavy rain showers are expected until Tuesday lunchtime.

The Environment...

Stagecoach South West today launched a new fleet of buses for its busiest Exeter Park & Ride route.

Staff were ready and waiting to greet commuters with a fresh chocolate chip cookie on what is, for many, the first day back to work after the Christmas break.

Commuters could then relax and travel in style on the four brand new buses, an £800,000 investment in the service. All feature free Wi-Fi, allowing customers to connect, share and play on the move. The Red Park and Ride route runs from Honiton Road to the city centre up to every 12 minutes, 7 days a week.

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Gilbert Stephens’ Young Professionals Network (YPN) got into the festive spirit last month with not one but two Christmas meet-ups, making sure no one missed out on the festivities.

Gilbert Stephens’ Exeter office opened its doors to members for mulled wine and nibbles, as well as some Christmas tunes to get people in the mood. For anyone who missed out on the first event, there was a second opportunity for YPN members to meet at the ski lodge on Cathedral Green for drinks before the Christmas break. The gathering was well attended and it was a great opportunity to catch up on...

The Business in Britain report, now in its 24th year, gathers the views of 1,500 UK companies, predominantly small to medium sized businesses, and tracks the overall “balance” of opinion on a range of important performance and confidence measures, weighing up the percentage of firms that are positive in outlook against those that are negative.

Since the last report in July 2015, business confidence in the South West - an average of respondents’ expected sales, orders and profits over the next six months - has declined to 40 per cent, down from 49 per cent. However the index remains...