THREE months after the Citizens' Advice Bureau Adviceline launched in Okehampton, the hotline service has taken over 540 calls.

A team of ten, largely volunteers, runs the service which provides a telephone advice helpline and forms part of an extended operation being delivered within the Torridge, North, Mid and West Devon Citizens' Advice Bureau. The service has been significantly increased following a restructure of the Adviceline service across Devon.

The service is part of CAB's commitment to reach more people than ever before to provide free, impartial and confidential advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.

Calls are taken Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4pm. Okehampton's contribution is running the service three times a week with a sister hub in Barnstaple covering the other two days. Since the scheme was relaunched across the whole of Devon it took over 2,300 calls in its first two months.

About 85% of all calls that are dealt with have either helped there and then or referred to the most appropriate service within Citizens' Advice or externally.

While Adviceline is not designed to replace the face to face service, it does provide an additional method of communication for clients who may not be able to travel easily because of illness or disability or those who are rurally isolated.

Dan Burton, an Adviceline supervisor in Okehampton said: 'Adviceline in Okehampton is going very well, we have got a fantastic little team in West Devon and Adviceline is a real asset to the Okehampton office.'