Honiton and towns across East Devon should be used to test a new approach to tackling the coronavirus, according to a group of county councillors.

County councillors Claire Wright (Otter Valley), Martin Shaw (Seaton and Colyton) and Hilary Ackland (Exeter) are calling for 'intensive testing, tracing and quarantining to eliminate the virus'.

They believe East Devon and the greater South West area would make a great test case for a new approach to the coronavirus due to the area having 'the lowest levels of hospitalisation and death from Covid-19 in the country'.

The councillors have issued a joint statement on their proposals: "The South West is experiencing the epidemic in a different way from other regions.

"We have the lowest levels of hospitalisation and death from Covid-19 in the country.

"South West councils, MPs and the police have had some success in preventing second-home owners and tourists further spreading the virus.

"We therefore support the call by Dr Bharat Pankhania, Exeter University's infectious disease and public health expert, to take advantage of the lock down to introduce a regional approach to the epidemic in the South West, with intensive testing, tracing and quarantining to eliminate the virus.

"We call on Directors of Public Health in the region to devote all available resources to this approach, and on Devon MPs to press the Government to give the necessary support for this.

"While we do not believe the lock down can be lifted imminently, effective control of the epidemic in the South West would be an important step forward towards a national solution and would enable local leaders to make the case for a regional approach to lifting the lock down in due course."