The Milkmaid, one of the oldest trading café restaurants in the city of Exeter, has been sold to local buyers.

The new owners, Colin and Heather Phillips, previously ran a post office in the Exeter area.

The 214-seat restaurant is located in a prime retail area in Catherine Street, near the new Princesshay development.

The Exeter office of Christie + Co sold the leasehold off a guide price of £245,000 on behalf of Brend Hotels, the largest independent family-owned hotel operator in the South West of England.

By Angela Frewin