As the fight to save the county's domestic abuse and violence support services continues, Devon and Cornwall Police has launched a Facebook campaign to raise awareness of the problem among young people.  

The force said it was 'surprisingly common' in close relationships and hoped the Is this Love? initiative in the run up to Valentine's Day would help youngsters to understand what was acceptable. 

Research by the NSPCC found that nearly three-quarters of girls and half of boys reported some form of emotional partner violence.

During the campaign young people will be encouraged to 'like' the Is this Love? page and share it with friends by sending a 'love heart'.

Detective Superintendent John Clements said: 'The Facebook campaign will enable us to reach a young audience in a way they are familiar with. 

'We will use a wide range of media on the page to help them recognise behaviours that are wrong in a relationship and encourage them to seek help if they are worried about themselves or their friends.'

Elsewhere, the campaign to rally support for domestic abuse support services gathered pace.

By the start of the week, more than 1,100 people had signed an online petition and 4,200 had expressed support on Facebook.

Last month, Devon County Council announced it was to axe the £1.2 million annual funding of ADVA (Against Domestic Violence and Abuse) but then agreed to a reduced contribution, yet to be decided.

Support workers, including those at the Domestic Violence and Abuse Service for South and West Devon, based in Newton Abbot, remain worried and said lives could be at risk.

On Friday, the Newton Abbot centre opened its doors in a bid to highlight its work.

General manager Christine McKenna and project manager Jenny Field were heartened by the number of visitors.

'We have had so much support from members of the public. Many of them believe that Devon County Council has suggested making such dramatic cuts to domestic violence and abuse services in the first year in the hope that the public will have forgotten what happened by the time it comes to cast their votes again,' said Mrs McKenna.

Support worker Dave McKewan was there to highlight the little-understood issue of abuse towards men.

'Among those I've worked with was a rugby player who was more than capable of looking after himself in most circumstances but in this case his partner repeatedly threatened to stab him in his sleep,' said Mr McKewan.

'There are also plenty of cases of psychological, financial and emotional abuse.'

The final funding details will be confirmed when the county council sets its budget on February 17.