A PUB near Tiverton was been 'highly commended' in a prestigious national awards ceremony for the pub industry.

Licensees Tim and Jane Thompson of The Exeter Inn in Bampton won the accolade in the Best Cask Pub category for the West Country region in the Great British Pub Awards - a nationwide search to find the best pubs and licensees in the UK.

The awards, run by the Publican's Morning Advertiser, recognise licensees across the country in a broad range of categories - from the quality of their cask beer, their food offer, to the support they provide to their local community or how they have turned their pub business around.

The Exeter Inn is owned by Punch Taverns. Partnership development manager Hugh O'Rourke said: “The Great British Pub Awards reward licensees that demonstrate real excellence and we wanted to ensure that Tim and Jane receive the recognition they deserve for all their hard work.

“We nominated the Exeter Inn in the Best Cask Category due to the excellent range of cask ales stocked from the West Country and in particular the Exmoor area.

“Not only are the ales of first cask quality but they are dispensed straight from the casks behind the bar, totally in keeping with this most traditional of Devon country pubs.

“Congratulations to Tim and Jane for being 'highly commended' and hopefully they can go on to the final next year!”