AS usual the Teen teamers have been keeping a close eye on the stories making the headlines in this week's Echo.

They have had plenty to say about subjects ranging from hunting to voting.

The Echo revealed that JD Sports, one of the country's biggest sports fashion retailers would be moving into Princesshay later this year.

Teen teamers George Furzer and George Baker, said: "The empty units in the high street look bad; they make Exeter look like a ghost town and that no one wants to come here. The high street should have some places that you don't have to pay to go in, or a youth cafe.

"JD Sports in Princesshay means that everyone will end up buying the same clothes and looking the same."

At the start of what could be the last season before the Hunting Act is repealed, the Echo reported from Rockbeare Manor where representatives from the Countryside Alliance watched huntsmen and women follow the East Devon Hunt's trail hunt.

The Teen team's Becca Stokes and Jon Sprague said: "If foxes need to be killed then it should be done in a humane way, not with a pack of dogs chasing them and tearing them apart. If people need something to occupy them, perhaps they should think about doing something positive for their communities or the environment rather than keeping an outdated and barbaric tradition going."

The Echo introduced its First Time Voters. The panel of six, politically aware youngsters, will be regularly airing their views in the run up to May's expected General Election.

And the Teen team had their own thoughts. Beth South and Lauren Tremlett said: "The voting age should be lowered to 16 as this is the age at which we start being able to control our own lives; we can get married and leave school, so we should have a say in the things that are going to effect that life. As long as we make an effort to think about who we are voting for and why, it doesn't matter if you are 16 or 60."

Mike Newman and George Baker said: "I don't think the age at which we can vote should be lowered. Many young people might not understand why they should vote for a specific party, and might end up voting for a group like the BNP because they hear others talking about them.

"We have a lot to think about at 16; it would be better to wait until we can learn more about policies."