A family-run caravan and camping park outside Sidmouth has scooped gold at the Visit Devon Tourism Awards.

Oakdown’s success in the ‘holiday park of the year’ category comes at the end of a very busy summer for the site, which has this year seen the introduction of shepherd’s huts, a brand-new reception area and a redesigned café and licensed shop.

Alastair Franks, whose family have owned Oakdown since the 1970s, said: “To win gold in these awards is an incredible result for us, and we’re thrilled to be a winner against some seriously tough competition.”

Judges carried out a series of mystery visits to the finalists, of which there were 75, whittled down from an initial 205 entries.

The team behind the awards said: “Judges were as always looking for evidence, not just of ‘good’ but of ‘excellent’, hence to be a winner is a very significant achievement indeed.”