STORIES of drama, heroism and fortitude emerged when parts of East Devon were hit by flooding in the early hours of October 30.

A freak hailstorm and torrential rain caused chaos, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes during the worst flooding seen in the county in decades.

What looked like piles of snow in Ottery St Mary was actually compacted hail. At least 2ft of ice fell on the town overnight, together with about 4in of rain.

Met Office forecasters described the weather as "freak" because it was localised to an area of just three square miles.

Water flooded properties and other people became trapped in their vehicles. Roads were closed until floodwaters subsided and some train services were disrupted.

Other communities badly affected included Feniton, Tipton St John, Budleigh Salterton and Newton Poppleford.

Ottery St Mary's renowned flaming tar barrels event and annual carnival still went ahead as planned less than a week after the storm.

The cost of repairing damage to homes and businesses in Ottery was estimated at more than £1m. The full extent of the flooding later revealed more than 250 homes in 20 communities were affected.

It was no surprise at the end of the year when the bill for clearing up the floods came to £1.4m. The vast majority of the money was been spent by Devon County Council.

In the latter part of the year, stories were increasing about the economic recession and its impact locally.

The number of homes repossessed in Devon was up by more than 40 per cent compared to last year and the total of job seekers in Exeter was up by more than a quarter.

One of the city's most exclusive car dealers, Bentley West Country, became a victim of the credit crunch.

The prestige car dealership at Marsh Barton went into administrative receivership.

Gleaming luxury cars — some worth more than £200,000 — which had been proudly on show just 24 hours earlier were taken away by manufacturers and finance companies.

Crediton fudge-maker Bristow's, once one of the biggest employers in Mid Devon, went into receivership after trading for more than 75 years.

A big freeze on spending in Exeter was declared by the city council to compensate for money it may have lost by investing in Icelandic banks.

Despite the credit crunch, hopes of creating a £50m weather-based visitor attraction on the outskirts of Exeter soared when international investors agreed to fund the project.

The ambitious Weatherworld development — tagged Devon's answer to Cornwall's Eden Project — is hoping to get planning permission next year.

Proposals for a new city library were also revived after £10m from the sale of Exeter International Airport was earmarked for the project.

The scheme involves the library being rebuilt on the existing site in Castle Street.

Despite months of protests, a proposed £3m flagship recycling centre in Pinbrook Road, Pinhoe, got the go-ahead.

The centre will handle about 13,500 tonnes of waste each year to help meet the city's recycling target.

Plans to transform Exeter's roads in a £35m congestion- busting scheme were unveiled. The need was highlighted when Exeter was named the worst congested city in the country outside London.

In other transport news, multi-million pound plans to redevelop Exeter's bus station took a major step forward when city councillors approved spending £175,000 on a masterplan.

It wasn't all good news for bus operator Stagecoach, though. The firm announced a deficit of £120,000 in lost fares after temporary traffic restrictions were imposed in Heavitree for six weeks in the summer.

There was good news for the Echo's Road to Ruin campaign. Barton Road, St Thomas, rated one of the worst crumbling roads in the city, finally underwent resurfacing work.

The Echo's We Care campaign launched a manifesto demanding a better deal for carers.

Readers were asked to sign an 11-point manifesto, which spells out what carers want and what they need with the intention of presenting it to the Government and asking it to support carers and implement real change. It was later presented to Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

The other big health story was the closure of the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital to all visitors after a quarter of its wards were struck down with norovirus.

The highly contagious diarrhoea and vomiting bug also caused the postponement of about 60 non-urgent operations.

The long-running saga of the grounding of the MSC Napoli was debated during an inquiry at Exeter's County Hall.

The committee of inquiry, set up by Devon County Council, looked into what led to the incident, what happened subsequently, and who should bear the costs and responsibility for any such incidents in the future.

The views expressed included that, while efficient measures were taken against the possible leakage of oil, more could have been done to prevent hordes of looters taking items which were washed up on the beach.

In October, it was the end of an era for the Royal Navy when sailors marched through the city streets for the last time.

HMS Exeter's final Freedom of the City parade marked the end of many years' association between the city and the ship HMS Exeter, which was about to be decommissioned.

November was the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War. The young and old turned out to pay their respects at Remembrance Sunday ceremonies.

Respects were also paid when Tony Kyle, of Exwick, Exeter, fell to his death while climbing a steep slope to reach his hotel on the Costa Brava, Spain, on his stag party.

The 25-year old played football for Heavitree Social United and Broadclyst Social Club.

Tributes also poured in for On The Buses star Reg Varney, who died aged 92 in November after a short illness in a nursing home in Budleigh Salterton. He was was born in London's East End but had lived in Devon for 20 years.

Surprised to find themselves becoming local celebrities were John and Penny Dawkins, who became Britain's oldest newlyweds when they got married at Honiton Register Office on November 24.

John, 89, and Penny, 90, married nine months after Mrs Dawkins took advantage of the leap year and proposed.

Another unlikely celebrity was rescue dog Sapphire, the winner of the Echo's Pet Idol contest. The 18-month-old German shepherd, described as a "bit mad" by her owner, took the title thanks to the text votes of Echo readers.

Locals were amazed when a real celebrity made an unexpected visit. Hollywood film star Johnny Depp stunned pubgoers when he popped in for a pint of bitter and a roast dinner at the Sandy Park Inn, at Chagford.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star was in the Westcountry filming Alice in Wonderland at Antony House, near Torpoint.

Heads also turned when Olympic gold medallist Robin Cousins switched on Exeter's Christmas lights. The ITV's Dancing on Ice judge joined Exeter's Lord Mayor, Councillor Paul Smith, to launch the dazzling display of 500 flashing bulbs, 1,500 golf ball lamps and more than 35 Christmas trees.

Jilted lover Lee Swain was jailed for 30 months after repeatedly driving his car into the windows of a busy city hairdresser, where his former girlfriend worked.

Swain, 31, from Exeter, showered customers in glass but no-one was seriously injured.

In another court case, a holistic healer who sexually abused women patients under the guise of treating them was jailed for four years.

James Hands, a 69-year-old former used car salesman, was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court on all eight indecency charges against him.

He was accused of assaulting women at his home in Ottery St Mary. Hands was also banned from practising complementary medicine for life.

Police officer Nestor Costa made the front page after being suspended on full pay for a year after he posted crude messages on a social networking site.

He was found guilty of actions considered likely to bring the force into disrepute, and punished with a fine of three days' wages.

Police later confirmed he was no longer based in Exeter but said the move was unrelated to the inquiry.