A MID Devon councillor is hoping to help the Exe Valley become an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and hopes to raise the notion to the council in the New Year.

Cllr Jenny Roach, who represents Silverton, hopes to secure the prestigious status for the picturesque and tranquil valley that runs through the heart of Mid Devon.

She said: “If you drive down the Exe Valley in the autumn it is breathtakingly beautiful, when all the leaves turn and the sun is shining - to think of that being desecrated by anything is just awful.

“One of the reasons have started the process is because we had the possibility of a wind turbine being erected in the valley, so we were looking at ways to protect it.

“Somebody had to start the process and that is what I am doing. It is a fantastic natural resource for the district in terms of tourism and we should be shouting out about how beautiful it is and we should be getting as many people to see it as we can.”

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a landscape whose character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard them.

There are 38 AONBs in England and Wales, which were created by the legislation of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. There are many benefits to the gaining of AONB status, including increased tourism to the area, predominantly in the form of walkers and cyclists - which turn, could lead to economical benefits.