A German student has been discovering the differences between local government in the UK and her home country.

Vanessa Peine, 21, is on a five week placement at Sudbury Town Council, organised via the Sudbury Town Twinning Association. Vanessa, who is studying for a degree in law to enable her to work for her town council in Germany, comes from Borgentreich just outside Hoxter, which is twinned with Sudbury.

Sudbury mayor Sue Ayres has been showing her the sights of Suffolk including the historic villages of Kersey and Lavenham. She also attended a Babergh District Council meeting.

Vanessa said: “It has been a very interesting experience because we only have two tiers of local Government in Germany rather than the three you have here.”