NHS chiefs have said the only way to fully open the £25 million Newton Abbot Hospital is to shut beds at Bovey Tracey and Ashburton.

The admission came on Wednesday night when more than 100 people packed into Bovey Tracey Town Hall to hear about the future of their ten-bed cottage hospital.

Managers from the Torbay and South Devon Health and Care NHS Trust began by saying their aim was to improve health services in the town by using the 80-year-old building for improved clinic and outpatient services.

Interim chief executive Mandy Seymour and her team of senior managers claimed needs had changed.