Local News

Five beaches in Teignbridge have been recognised for their quality in the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2026.

Concerns over rural areas and hard-to-reach communities missing out on broadband connectivity are to be raised with government.

A Devon local authority has been described as ‘institutionally misogynist’ by a councillor who says she has suffered years of bullying and harassment.

Exeter’s MP has urged entertainment giant Mecca to think again over plans to close its bingo hall in the city.

Libraries will not have their hours cut or be reorganised into area groups after a decision off the back of a major consultation that was cheered by library backers.

A number of roads around Paignton seafront will be closed to allow emergency services to  get to and from areas packed with crowds enjoying the three-day English Riviera Airshow.

Citizens Advice Exeter has marked its 80th anniversary with a reception celebrating eight decades of providing free, confidential and independent advice to city residents.

Exmouth Community College (ECC) welcomed the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) into school this term to deliver a series of ‘Water Smart’ assemblies for students, helping them develop essential knowledge to stay safe around water

Residents and visitors are being reminded to plan for their healthcare needs ahead of the upcoming bank holiday and half term holidays.

Ottery St Mary Town Council is reminding local businesses that there is still time to apply for the 2026 Shop Front Fund scheme, with the deadline fast approaching on 31 May 2026.

Exeter’s first City Nature Challenge has been hailed a success, with more than 1,500 observations of 507 species recorded.

Independent councillor Robert Steemson has been chosen to serve a second term as the chair of Teignbridge Council.

Officers were called at approximately 1.30pm to Newton Road on Monday 18 May to reports of a collision involving a red Volkswagen Tiguan and a white Yamaha XT660 motorcycle.

Police are currently searching for a 16-year-old girl who has been reported missing from Crediton.

Residents are being asked to give their views in consultations on two important new strategies for Exeter.

Developers have been given the go-ahead for the final piece in a jigsaw of new housing on the outskirts of Exeter.

Experts from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Exeter have been awarded £125,000 to lead national research into robotic hernia surgery.

The housebuilder behind a controversial plan for up to 140 homes that was rejected this month is mulling what its next move might be.

The historic seaside town of Dawlish is celebrating 180 years of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s world famous coastal railway, with the re-launch of ‘The Brunel Trail’.

Foster carers working with Devon County Council are receiving support towards their council tax, as part of a wider package recognising the vital role they play in caring for some of the county’s most vulnerable children.

Residents in a Devon village are at their wit’s end over repeated damage to garden walls being caused by lorries.

Devon’s Reform UK leader has issued a bid to launch a multi-party ‘shadow cabinet’ to “try something radically different”.

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy have announced the winners of the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2026, and among them are four sites in East Devon

Agatha Christie’s iconic Devon holiday home will welcome writers from across the globe this autumn as part of an exciting new residency programme from Exeter UNESCO City of Literature.

Devon County Councils annual Parents Childcare Survey is now live and they are inviting parents and carers across Devon to give them their views on how they use childcare.

The first appearance by the Red Arrows in the UK this year will be an early highlight of the 2026 English Riviera Airshow.

Those of us who live or work in Exeter are going to see some major changes to the city we love in the coming years.

A Devon councillor has been expelled from a second political party as a dispute over the reasons and process erupts.

Nurses, therapists, doctors and healthcare support workers from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) will join thousands of runners at the Great West Run on Sunday, May 24 to raise funds to enhance care for patients living with dementia.

Devon & Cornwall Police has received funding from The Road Safety Trust to support an important new research project focused on improving driver safety.

In recent months, aviation fuel prices have more than doubled, rising from around 74p per litre in early March to approximately £1.60 per litre. Based on these increases, they estimate their annual aviation fuel costs could surge from around £177,000 in 2025 to approximately £384,000 this year, an increase of more than £200,000.

The safety of elected members will be a key theme for East Devon’s re-elected leader after a “few ugly moments” in the past few months.

A child sex offender groomed and arranged to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old child despite being subject to court orders in relation to similar offending.

Exeter celebrates 70 years of links with the French city of Rennes later this month.

Social darts pioneer Flight Club, which calls itself the home of ‘unexpected, ridiculous joy’, is coming to Exeter.

Students at Exmouth Community College (ECC) experienced an inspiring and creative day of literary engagement when BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and Stonewall Book Award-winning author Dean Atta visited the school this term. The visit brought together Year 10 students alongside Year 12 and Year 13 English Literature and English Language students, offering them the opportunity to engage directly with one of the UK’s most celebrated contemporary writers.

Devon County Council has published a major new strategy designed to help nature and wildlife recover across Devon.

Officers are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 55-year-old man who has been reported missing from Exeter.

Torbay’s ‘over-reaction’ in pulling out of the worldwide Blue Flag beach award scheme could cause lasting damage to its tourism industry, it has been claimed.

Devon looks set to be able to secure more nurses as part of a national apprenticeship initiative aimed at bolstering their ranks.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage following a serious injury collision on the A377 near Exeter.

Two projects led by the University of Exeter have been awarded grants by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Every year, thousands of families across the UK are affected by road traffic collisions. In those critical moments after a crash – the first recognition of injury, the first person to call for help, and the first clinical decisions – outcomes can be shaped in minutes, or even seconds.

The screening forms part of a growing UK-wide programme of events designed to help ensure that both the public and decision-makers are clearly and honestly informed about the climate and nature crisis – and what it may mean for communities across the country.

Nine new councillors have been welcomed on to Exeter City Council following last week’s elections.

People are being told not to be concerned about the appearance of white webbing in trees in an Exeter park, caused by an infestation of caterpillars.

Across the UK, hundreds of foster carers open their homes to provide love, stability, and care to children and young people in need. But many more foster carers are urgently needed to ensure every child can be matched with the right home for their individual needs.

Campaigners battling to keep Devon’s library service from being reorganised with reduced opening hours could be victorious as a crunch decision over their future approaches.

Gypsy and Traveller communities are being let down by councils that fail to provide the right facilities for them, it has been claimed.

Police investigating a reported sexual assault in Exmouth are appealing for witnesses. Devon & Cornwall Police say a teenage girl was assaulted on Gypsy Lane between 4pm and 5.30pm on Thursday 7 May. Anyone with information is urged to come forward.

Noise Action Week (11–15 May) EDDC is shining a spotlight on the impact unwanted noise can have on health, wellbeing, and local communities, while encouraging residents to take practical steps to help reduce noise pollution.

Rural Affairs officers from Devon and Cornwall Police held a series of property making events over the past two weeks, offering free trailer marking for farmers and rural communities.

The fund replaces the Household Support Fund, which ended in March 2026, but is not a direct replacement. Instead of automatic payments, it provides targeted help for low-income households facing sudden financial shocks or essential unaffordable costs.

To uphold the Police Crime & Commissioners commitment to be your voice in policing, her office has launched a dedicated website section to keep you updated on what the government’s policing reform proposals specifically mean for Devon & Cornwall.

The road between Tipton St John and The Bowd in East Devon has re-opened with temporary traffic lights in place following an extensive repair scheme

Fundraisers in Exmouth have given the town’s hospital a big lift with a £6,000 donation for a new patient hoist.

Temporary traffic signals which have been in place for the construction of the Dinan Way extension, will be cleared from the A376 on Friday 29 May to help ease traffic flow in and out of Exmouth during the summer.

Newton Abbot Town Council is redoubling its efforts to fill a unique civil role that would suit someone with a big personality and even bigger voice.

The test of success for the soon-to-be-nationalised rail operator that transports Devonians to London Paddington will be in its ability to run “efficient and punctual” services, a Devon MP has said.

Work will begin this month on a major project to build new council homes on a car park in Newton Abbot.

Cash aimed at helping businesses to grow has plunged to zero in a major Devon area after changes to government funding.

Clarity about an Exeter Pride event happening at the city’s library has been issued after organisers have been targeted with “extremely challenging” comments.

Exeter’s jubilant Greens have hailed an ‘amazing’ night at the city council elections and thanked their legion of volunteers.

An international partnership designed to improve equality in access to genomic medicine for a rare disease has now provided potentially life-saving genetic testing for over 1,100 families across the world.

Pupils at Dunsford Community Academy, have enjoyed a fantastic Bikeability week, with Year 5 children developing essential cycling skills and road safety awareness in a fun and engaging programme.

Businesses across the region are being urged to join the fight against business crime as part of a major new initiative led by UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) and funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez. 

Labour has lost overall control of Exeter City Council, although it remains the largest party.

Labour has pledged to continue providing leadership in Exeter despite losing overall control of the council last night.

Almost 200 homes could be approved in East Devon next week as planners debate a trio of sites.

A charity walker tackled a 72-mile walk in just 24 hours in a fundraising effort for lifesaving charity, the RNLI.

DCUK, The Original Wooden Duck Company, is celebrating after being honoured with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise 2026 in the category of International Trade.

Three former Royal Marines from the Westcountry are taking on one of the world’s toughest treks with the dual aim of raising £100,000 for RMA-The Royal Marines Charity and raising awareness of its suicide prevention campaign. And, in a bid to make the most impact possible, members of the public are encouraged to complete their own challenges.

Major repairs have begun on a Devon footpath and cycle path battered by Storms Bert, Bram and Chandra.

The latest figures show positive signs for East Devon’s economy, with competitive wages and low unemployment rates.

Get back on your bike with confidence this summer. Libraries Unlimited is partnering with Ride On to offer free Dr Bike safety check sessions at four libraries this May and June.

Successful Exeter artist Nick Langdon has donated an evocative drawing of their inshore lifeboat to volunteers at Lyme Regis RNLI to commemorate 200 years of lifesaving service in the town.

A scheme that introduced ‘hotspot’ patrols in 15 locations across Devon and Cornwall to specifically tackle street violence and anti-social behaviour (ASB) has contributed to a significant decline in crime.

Exeter Pride is back and bigger than ever this year.

A former prison officer from Devon appeared at Exeter Crown Court yesterday (5 May) and was sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to misconduct in public office and being concerned in the supply of class C drugs.

A plan that will influence where thousands of homes in a Devon district can be built over the next 15 years has suffered a delay.

A Devon MP is calling on the government to scrap a new ‘church tax’ that he says could lead to a wave of closures across the county.

East Devon culture organisations and creatives have been provided a lifeline to help fund their cultural project, festival or event through a new round of the fund from Arts & Culture East Devon (ACED).

Visually impaired voters in Exeter will benefit from extra support at polling stations, with audio ballot papers available for the local elections.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the government, Sir Chris Whitty, has visited Devon as part of a tour of the country’s rural towns and communities.

A Torbay taxi driver who picked up three speeding tickets – two of them at the same camera four days apart – has been given a formal written warning.

A man is due to appear at court today charged in connection to an incident in Newton Abbot town centre in the early hours of Monday 4 May.

Exeter’s largest church, which says its current city centre base is ‘bursting at the seams’, has been denied permission to move to a bigger new home.

APPEAL | Officers are appealing for witnesses and information following a fatal collision at Budleigh Salterton

Two people are in hospital after they were seriously assaulted in Newton Abbot in the early hours of Monday 4 May.

The Pharmacy First service, available in most local pharmacies, frees up GP appointments for patients who need them most and gives people quicker and more convenient access to safe and high-quality healthcare.

An impactful initiative that has been helping Devon parents and carers discuss difficult topics with children such as pornography, drugs and alcohol, relationships and mental health is now available for free online.

Residents and visitors to Teignmouth will be able to enjoy spectacular views for miles, following the arrival of a new observation wheel at The Den this week.

Fly-tipping, red-hot barbecues and van drivers throwing carrots at ponies are among the burning issues for rangers patrolling Dartmoor.

Vapes have been identified as a major factor in the likely rise in household waste collection fires by a Devon council.

A man has been jailed for 10 years for the rape and sexual abuse of a woman in Devon.

Deficits have already been predicted at Devon’s newest political entity as efforts ramp up to push Westminster for more cash.

Teignmouth Lido will open for the summer of 2026 on Saturday 23 May, in time for the half term holiday.

A vital food bank in an East Devon town is readying a fundraising push to broaden where it gets its income.

Construction work on phase 2 of the Ogwell Walking and Cycling Link project will begin week commencing 4 May 2026, marking the next stage in the delivery of a key active travel route for Newton Abbot and the surrounding area.

Campaigners calling for an Exeter road to be re-opened to traffic have released a video which they say shows an ambulance on an emergency call being delayed.