Devon Life announced the winners of the 2012 Devon Life Food & Drink Awards at a glittering black tie event held at Exeter's Sandy Park last night. The ceremony honours the finest food and drink producers in Devon.

The Exeter Daily would like to congratulate all winners and finalists, but especially Exeter's St Peter's School for winning Best School Food Award, Ben Bulger of the Magdalen Chapter Hotel for winning Best Chef of the Year and The Hunstman Inn at Ide for winning Best Dining Pub of the Year. Special mentions also go to the Rodean Restaurant (Best Restaurant...

The annual Ottery Tar Barrels event is due to take place on Monday 5th November and is likely to attract thousands of visitors to the town. Police are working closely with other agencies, including fire and ambulance services to monitor the event.

The Tar Barrels Committee is reminding visitors to be mindful of their own safety and follow the advice given by marshals on the night.

In the event of a safety issue police will also be using Twitter to update visitors who have access via their mobile phones. To follow regular updates on Twitter please follow @...

An eighteen year old man from Axminster has died after a car crash last night at Musbury.

He was driving a black Porsche on the A358 when it was in collision with a van.

Emergency services attended but he died at the scene... the driver and passenger of the van escaped serious injury.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.

The Express & Echo has announced that it is to team up with Marsh Barton-based Sungift Solar to shed some much-needed festive illuminations on Exeter's High Street this Christmas.

Following the announcement in summer that there would be no main Christmas lights display for the city, many were questioning whether a knight in shining armour would step in like last year, when South West Communications and Exeter Chiefs Chairman Tony Rowe funded the High Streets lights.

However, it was announced today that the Echo is providing funding for the lights, while SunGift Solar is...

The second round of the Ironbridge Runner Winter 3k Series 2012 takes place at Exeter Arena Athletics Stadium on Monday 5 November.

With runners seeded into races according to their pace, there is no need for anyone to be nervous about entering. There is even an event for the under 11s - they have their very own one mile race.

Full details can be found on the event website and entries can be taken on the night in the race headquarters in the Exeter Harriers Pavilion from 6pm.

http://www.ironbridgerunnerevents.co.uk/html/3k.html

More than 6,500 jobs are at risk across the UK as the troubled high-street electricals chain Comet has been officially placed into administration. Comet is estimated to have lost £35m in a year. In a sign of the toughness of the market US giant Best Buy pulled out of the UK last year after struggling to gain a foothold.

The 240-strong chain, including its Marsh Barton branch, confirmed plans for it to be placed into administration next week, marking on of the UK's biggest retail failures in recent years.

Staff were informed of plans this morning and...

A Devon removals company is volunteering its services to the charity Operation Christmas Child for the second year running.

The idea of the organisation is to encourage donations of shoeboxes filled with gifts. These shoe boxes are then delivered around the world to children who without this donation may not receive a Christmas gift. In 2011 Van Man Exeter contacted Operation Christmas Child’s Exeter base to offer our assistance.

We moved approximately 1400 cubic feet of boxes from Plymouth to join the 16,000 shoeboxes to leave the Exeter depot destined...

An eighteen year old man from Axminster has died after a car crash last night at Musbury.

He was driving a black Porsche on the A358 when it was in collision with a van. Emergency services attended but he died at the scene... the driver and passenger of the van escaped serious injury. Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.

The first football team to have played a match against Brazil marked its historic ties with a special welcome to visiting students.

The Grecians were the first team to play the Brazilian national team in a match that took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1914.

When Exeter City played Port Vale recently, the club used the day to celebrate its links with Brazil.

Among the special guests invited to enjoy the game was a group of Brazilian students newly arrived at the University of Exeter .

The students were given free entry to the match and then invited down onto the...

The publishers of the Daily Mirror have confirmed they are in talks about buying a minority stake in a new company that would take over the running of Exeter's Express & Echo and the Western Morning News in Plymouth.

It has been reported that Northcliffe Media, which owns the E&E and WMN, is considering a merger with another publisher, Iliffe News & Media, to form a new business called Local World.

The Mirror Group, which also owns more than 100 regional and local titles including the Liverpool Echo and Newcastle Journal, said it was in discussions about taking...