county news

Plans to bolster a nature reserve with a £1.1m cash injection have been backed again after an initial decision was revisited.Support had already been given to put £1m into an investment fund and £100,000 in a high interest account to cover the costs of maintaining Clyst Meadows Countryside Park, in east Devon.East Devon District Council is legally obliged to oversee the funding of the park for 80 years and the aim is for the cash to come from…

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has asked the public to help shape its strategic plan for the next five years.A survey for Devon and Somerset residents has been launched to help the service find out where the concerns are in local communities and how it can better use its resources. The service said the feedback alongside incident data and risk analysis, would help inform its draft Community Risk Management Plan before it goes out for further…

A new woodland is being created in a Devon town as part of work to combat climate change.Forestry England is planting a mixture of trees and shrubs, including broadleaved trees and conifers on the 135-hectare (333-acre) site it has bought in Hatherleigh, near Okehampton.The site will be known as Fishleigh Wood and the conservation body said it would "absorb carbon from the atmosphere, enhance the local landscape, and provide important habitat for wildlife".It hoped the greening of the…

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestSimon PryorThe Royal Navy said the helicopter was designed and built by Leonardo under a £60m programmeThe UK's first autonomous full-size helicopter Proteus has completed its maiden flight. The Royal Navy said the helicopter was designed and built by Leonardo in Yeovil under a £60m programme for the Royal Navy and would "unlock the potential of uncrewed aerial systems".The aircraft was designed and manufactured in Yeovil and operates from Predannack Airfield in Cornwall, where its maiden…