EXTRA beds have been made available at Newton Abbot and Teignmouth community hospitals to tackle unprecedented demand at Torbay Hospital's accident and emergency department.

Five beds have been freed up at Newton Abbot and one at Teignmouth while staff at Torbay struggle to cope with what health bosses are describing as a 'challenging' situation.

Additional doctors and nurses have been drafted in to help out and day beds have temporarily been changed to take overnight patients.