Devon News

Pennon Group, the parent company of South West Water, has appointed Keith Haslett as its new chief executive.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is rolling out the national flu vaccination and COVID-19 booster programme from today, Wednesday 1 October.

South West Water is exploring the power of artificial intelligence to help tackle one of the water industry’s biggest challenges - blockages and pollution. Clever tools and future-facing thinking are being combined to keep the network flowing.

Innovative ways are always being sought to deter young people away from crime and for the first time the Police and Crime Commissioner is now providing funding for pioneering football-related schemes.

Devon Libraries and Recycle Devon help save pennies and the planet with Halloween Costume Swaps

Did you know, regulations are in place for the sale of domestic solid fuels which aim to help improve air quality.

Exeter academics are playing a leading role in a new £11.5 million AI-driven initiative hoping to transform how governments around the world use research evidence.

Just a third of Devon’s existing councillors could survive the biggest overhaul of local government in 50 years, creating mega-wards for those left that some feel only retired people could manage.

Devon & Cornwall Police have been working with DeterTech, Devon Cricket Foundation and Cornwall Cricket as part of a joint initiative to prevent burglary and deter opportunistic thieves.

Devon County Council has moved forward with a notional side-hustle that could earn it some extra cash.

Devon County Councils Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee this week urged the ambulance service to ‘think again’ on their plans to replace fire and rescue co-responders with trained volunteers.

South West Water launches new campaign to fight fatbergs and keep sewers flowing

The Government has given local authorities in the county until November 28 to come up with proposals to replace the ‘two-tier’ district and county council structure.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, in partnership with National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), has launched a campaign to highlight the three risks young drivers face on the road.

In July 2025, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) visited our control room to look at a specific issue that had been reported to them about the Vision mobilising system that services across the Networked Fire Control Partnership (NFSP) region use to assign and mobilise crews to incidents.

Devon County Council is working with the Special Partnership Trust (SPT) to create additional resource and capacity in the county to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Part of Devon’s health service has managed to emerge from its ‘special measures’ rating after securing improvements in various areas.

More evidence about the impacts of potential changes to a first responder scheme on rural areas has been requested by an influential health committee.

A new mobile tool has been launched to support frontline workers with essential carbon monoxide (CO) safety advice and resources.

Developers building new homes across Devon will now have to increase their education contributions by a fifth to support the delivery of more school places, after an updated policy was approved by councillors this week.

The Recycle Devon Flag was raised aloft County Hall on Friday to mark Recycle Week from Monday September 22 to 28.

Devon is hoping to bag up to £5 million by selling parcels of land around the county.

A man has died following a road traffic collision on the M5 near Willand last night, Thursday 18 September.

Devon County Council Cabinet Members have been told that the Dedicated Schools Grant, which funds special educational needs and disabilities services, is forecasting an overspend this financial year of £53.3 million, according to the council’s month four financial position.

Fire crews will no longer attend automatic fire alarms at certain buildings without a confirmed sign of fire, following changes announced by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

Memorial trees have been planted at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) and North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) as a way to remember healthcare workers who have taken their own lives.

A former Devon & Cornwall Police officer has been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of stalking and accessing a database for a non-policing purpose.

The UK Government has launched a major public consultation to shape the future of the Post Office, marking the first comprehensive review of the network in over 15 years and Devon County Council are encouraging people to have their say.

The Education Select Committee has released a major report calling for a fundamental overhaul of how mainstream education supports children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England.

A Devon MP has launched a plea to the government to step in and save the county’s zoos.

Towns and villages across the region are being helped to improve community safety, catch criminals and reduce offending through the launch of a new CCTV funding scheme. 

An hour-long session aimed at young people who have an interest in the cyber industry, will be delivered to students across Devon and Cornwall to give them the tools they need to avoid getting involved in unlawful computer activity or becoming a victim themselves.

South Western Railway is expanding the use of body-worn video cameras for frontline colleagues, such as train guards and gateline assistants, to help tackle a rise in assaults and abuse

Police are warning residents to be cautious over a seasonal scam – known as the winter fuel scam – in which fraudsters attempt to trick unsuspecting individuals into handing over their personal and financial information.

Police commissioner Alison Hernandez says it’s unlikely there will be money to recruit more regular police officers but 49 new police community support officers (PCSOs) across Devon and Cornwall will make an impact.

Devon and Cornwall has seen an 11.7 per cent rise in crime over the past year and dropped from sixth to ninth in the table of the safest places to live

Returning students and those heading to universities in the South West for Freshers Weeks are being urged to use condoms to protect themselves and others from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as the UKHSA’s latest quarterly data shows that gonorrhoea and syphilis remain very high in England.

South West Water is working in partnership with the University of Exeter through the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW), to develop an upgraded model to predict the location of lead pipes across its network.

Details of the financial settlement awarded to former suspended Devon and Cornwall Chief Constable Will Kerr following his decision to retire are now able to be publicly shared by the Police and Crime Commissioner