Devon County Show 'had no wet weather insurance'

Heavy rainfall before and during the show turned car parks into "quagmires", organisers said

Organisers of a county show which was cancelled after heavy rain caused car parks to become "quagmires" said it did not have wet weather insurance.

Saturday's exhibitions of the 2014 Devon County Show were cancelled on Friday after the weather caused vehicles to become stuck in mud.

Secretary Ollie Allen said the show would lose more than £500,000 as a result.

She added it was unclear whether traders would get a refund.

Tractors were on site to tow any stuck vehicles

However, people with unused tickets for Saturday's show at Westpoint, near Exeter, can apply for a full refund.

On Friday, 16 tractors were on site to tow any stuck vehicles.

Organisers described the cancellation as "heartbreaking" but said rain which caused fields used as car parks to become "quagmires" had left them no choice.

Secretary Ollie Allen said: "The premiums for wet weather insurance are horrendous.

"The types of insurance we have looked at, [means] a certain amount of rain has to fall in a certain amount of time and we have to prove it."

The cancellation was the first in the show's 119-year history.