Victims of domestic abuse and the workers who try to help them have said they are still fearful that people will die unless there is enough money to properly fund the service.

On Monday, Devon County Council withdrew a proposal to axe the £1.2 million it gives each year to ADVA (Against Domestic Violence and Abuse).

A reduced contribution, at a level yet to be decided, will provide what is described as a 'reasonable' service.

The authority had said its support would have to go altogether as part of the £54.6 million savings it has to find next year.

But the county's money makes up 90 per cent of the cash needed to run the three domestic abuse services that cover Devon.

They all said they would close if the funding was stopped.

The groups include the Domestic Violence and Abuse Service for South and West Devon, based in Newton Abbot.

It helped more than 1,100 people last year and its clients included 35 men, almost half of those who sought help across the county.

Prior to Monday's change of heart, manager Christine McKenna said: 'Councillors need to understand the huge risks they are taking and just how nonsensical it is.

'This is not about the already crowded safe-houses but the outreach support that's going in right across the county, including the women and children in hiding from abusive partners or trying to escape abuse.

'Social services, the police and the NHS simply don't have the services or people to do this work.

'Devon County Council has helped establish a highly-regarded and effective service that is saving lives and protecting some of the most vulnerable people in society.

'And that's what councillors are proposing to shut down, a potential escape route for some of our most vulnerable children, women and men.

'There is no doubt, no doubt at all, that without us more people will die. They will either be murdered or take their own lives when their situations become intolerable.'

After the revised plan was announced she said: 'My concern is that people will come up to us and say congratulations, you've won, well we've won nothing.

'We don't know how much the service will get, whether it will be two per cent of what we had or 99 per cent.

'Nor do we know how much will drip down, it's impossible to plan.

'We are no better off than we were last week.'

By Monday almost 2,000 people had joined a Facebook campaign and more than 500 signed an online petition calling for the services to be saved.

One mother wrote: 'Without this service many more children will end up in care and women will die or be so emotionally scared they won't be able to cope or teach their children not to be abused. People will be at risk and the cost to social services and the NHS will be ten fold.'

Another said: 'I am 44 years old and spent a lifetime suffering abuse. I am just one person who attended the "pattern changing" course and it educated me into being able to change my life. I don't expect my point of view counts for much but this is just plain common sense.'

Devon's leader Cllr John Hart said: 'Over the last three years, the county council has increased its funding to ADVA from £678,000 to £1.24 million, while other members of the partnership have increased their total contributions from £100,000 to £128,000.

'We will fund a reasonable service this year, but we must also talk to the other funding partners so that we are not put in this position again next year.'

The council's cabinet committee will consider its position before next year's budget setting meeting on February 17.