We've just put the first of our new fleet of refuse vehicles on the road.

The 12 refuse collection include 8, 22 and 26-tonne vehicles which are fitted with lower emission Euro-6 engines, and electric bin lifts which reduce noise levels for operatives and residents.

The new vehicles are the first of a 56-vehicle replacement programme which includes kerbside recycling vehicles, sweepers for street cleansing and vans, all of which are more eco-friendly, quieter and more efficient.

We’re looking for any old or unwanted buckets, spades, balls, nets etc. to fill our beach toy libraries on the seafront at Teignmouth and Dawlish Warren.

The toy libraries have previously proved very popular, and anyone visiting these resorts can borrow items to use whilst on the beach. They also help us support families who may not be able to afford all the little extras for a trip to the beach and encourage people to reuse plastic toys rather than just binning them once finished with.

We would love to see the libraries brimming with toys, so if you have old or unused beach toys, please just place them in one of the chests located on the pier on Teignmouth’s promenade and near the lifeguard station on Dawlish Warren Beach.

A free “Women in Business” Course, will be launching on 7 June. Run by Libraries Unlimited and funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this seven week course is being rolled out after the huge success of last year's course, with the aim of exploring the particular challenges women may face, and to help develop key business skills.

Over the seven weeks, there will be workshops, webinars, coworking and networking events. There is also an opportunity to be mentored by experienced coaches.

The free course, predominantly delivered in person is covering the following topics:

• Building Self-Confidence
• Creating Your Social Media Persona
• Developing Resilience
• Business Fundamentals
• Marketing and Branding
• Networking and Support Systems
• Pitching  

For more information please visit the Libraries Unlimited website.

Young cricketers are hoping for a return of the weekend sunshine before their first girls' and boys' Dynamos Cricket session on Wednesday (15 May).

The 8-week programme is taking place from 6-7pm, at Sandy Lane, Dawlish. Sessions will be led by a qualified English Cricket Board (ECB) coach and member of the ECB Coaches Association. The 8-week programme is £30, which includes a personalised New Balance playing shirt, Topps Wildcards and access to the Dynamos Cricket app for every player.

This is a new community-led cricket programme that started last year supported by the Devon Cricket Board. Dynamos Cricket provides girls and boys from 8-11 years a safe and fun environment to experience cricket and have fun. Each week there will be a focus on a different cricket skill to build their confidence and ability, before they take part in a fun cricket match.

For more details and to book visit the website.

Devon County Council has just announced a £12m programme of repairs to potholes, to improve the county's road network. The announcement was made this week by the county council, which is responsible for highway management, and the cash injection will also be used to improve drainage to make the roads more resilient. 

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