Officials at a domestic violence service in South Devon have been forced to axe a vitally important course for abuse victims, following a major cut in their budget.

Devon County Council slashed the amount of money they spend on services for victims of violence by around 30 per cent earlier this year, as part of 54 million pounds worth of savings.

For officials at the Domestic Violence and Abuse Service that's meant they've had to stop running the pattern-changing course, which helped around 200 people every year.

They also think they'll only be able to help around six hundred victims this year compared to a thousand in 2010.

Manager of the Domestic Violence and Abuse Service, Christine McKenna, says the help they offer is vitally important to victims across South Devon because it can enable them to leave or get information to keep themselves safer.