The Earl of Devon's Powderham Estate has scrapped plans for a pig farm in east Devon.

It had been proposed that the farm would accommodate up to with up to 8,000 animals on land beside the Exe Estuary owned by JMW Farms and the estate.

Concerns had been raised by local residents who set up a website called Stop Powderham Estate Pig Factory.

They were concerned over a number of issues including noise and smell.

The estate said it "valued its relationship with the local community and the views of parish councils and residents were taken into account when...

In the past year nearly 45,000 hours of volunteer time have been devoted to looking after National Trust owned property on Exmoor.

The latest figures for volunteering on just the National Trust properties inside the Exmoor National Park show that 748 volunteers contributed an astonishing 44,470 volunteer hours in the twelve month period to March 2013.

It is the first time that the volunteer data has been compiled in this way to include every NT property within the National Park boundary - Dunster Castle, West Exmoor, Exmoor Bunkhouse and the Holnicote Estate.

The...

Thousands gathered in Paris' Place Baudoyer on Tuesday evening to celebrate the passing of the equal marriage bill in France.

The bill met some of the strongest opposition seen in Europe, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets of towns and cities across the country in recent months.

The bill, which also legalises adoption by same-sex couples, was passed by 321 votes to 225 in the French parliament. (NewsPoint)

Victims of racism in the South West will increasingly have to seek their own justice because of cuts to the region's race equality councils, Equality South West has warned. Despite there being more than 2,600 race hate crimes reported in the South West in 2012, local authorities are withdrawing funding from race equality councils, forcing them to survive on a shoestring budget or, in some cases, close altogether. The cuts mean the RECs are no longer able to adequately provide advice and support to victims of racial attacks, abuse and harassment. Brenda Weston from ESW said: "The situation...

Stagecoach South West announced that it has signed up to sponsor a unique piece of three-dimensional public art – a life-sized model gorilla. The gorilla is part of the Great Gorillas Project, which not only celebrates the 90th birthday of the region’s largest and best-known zoo, Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, but is also raising funds for gorilla conservation and providing a showcase for specially commissioned artists.

Stagecoach’s very own banana-covered gorilla was painted last week (week commencing 15 April) in the painting space made available in Exeter’s Guildhall Shopping...

To kick off the first May Bank Holiday 2013 the famous seaside resort of Torquay in South Devon will be holding TorqEat, a brand-new FREE Food and Drink Festival on Saturday 4 May.

The event, organised by Torquay BID and supported by Taste of the West, will be located on the vibrant Torquay harbourside and fan out over beautiful Cary Gardens.

Visitors will be able to try and buy from over 35 producers all showcasing a delicious mix of food and drink products from across the English Riviera and the West Country.

In true Masterchef style, Torquay’s very own celebrity...

Preparation has started on the build for this year's Devon County Show on 16-18 May. A team of eight contractors are making the showground home for the next month as they build marquees equivalent in size to approximately four football pitches. Show Secretary Ollie Allen said the early days of the build were a testing time for the team. “This is a really big task!” she said. “In marquee-building terms, it’s equivalent to scaling Mount Everest! “Each year, Danco, the marquee contractors, put in some new recruits with the more established staff members and within weeks, sometimes days, it is...

From its humble beginnings ten years ago, always with acclaimed chef Michael Caines MBE at its helm, the Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in the UK, its rise corresponding to the huge surge in consumer demand for local produce. More visitors than ever flock to Exeter's Northernhay Gardens each year to visit artisan food and drink producers from throughout South West England.

In the popular Cookery Theatre, Michael organises and hosts the chef demonstrations, supported by the region's best and best known chefs. Be...

Police are treating a large fire in the Millbay area of Plymouth as a major incident because some of the smoke from the fire is thought to be toxic.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are attending a serious fire in a vehicle spray workshop in Miller Court in the Millbay area of Plymouth.

Pumping appliances from Greenbank (two), Camels Head, Crownhill and Plymstock are at the scene together with support appliances and reports suggest that huge plumes of smoke were witnessed and explosions heard in the industrial estate. For the time being, fire crews have the...

Live church bells across Exeter and the sound of artillery fire from Plymouth Citadel will be used in a performance of 1812 Overture at Exeter Cathedral on Thursday 25 April.

As well as the Cathedral bells, the bells of St Thomas Church across the city will be rung live and fed into the performance. The bells of Widecombe Church will also join the cacophony which represents the victory bells in Russia’s defence against Napoleon.

The score also calls for Russian cannon shots. To make the performance by Exeter’s EMG Symphony Orchestra more local and up-to-date, Plymouth’s Two...