Tributes have been paid to three people who died after attending a Dorset agricultural show.

Dennis Smith, a well-respected agricultural judge, sadly passed away alongside his partner Claire and Andy of Oakroyal Holsteins farm in a car accident following yesterday's Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show.

Mr Smith’s last few days were spent ‘doing what he loves best’ which was judging cattle, a tribute from show organisers said.

They said: "It is with deep sadness that the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Society share the devastating news of the passing of Dennis Smith, who was yesterday's Supreme Dairy Championship judge, and also the passing of Claire, his partner and Andy (Oakroyal).

"Our thoughts are with friends and family at this time. It's a tragic loss to cattle showing and judging and a sad moment for the Holstein breed."

The show took place across two days on August 14 and 15 in Motcombe, north Dorset.

In his early life Mr Smith joined the young farmers and represented Somerset in National Stock Judging Finals, winning it when he was just 16.

He then became the stock judging trainer for the Devon Young Farmers team for many years.

The Somerset farmer also became the herdsman at the Pottrells herd for R Stafford-Smith where his father was farm manager.

He was given the opportunity to keep a cow and so bought a well-bred Terling heifer. This was the start of the Oakroyal herd with the prefix registered when Dennis was 16 years old.

Mr Smith was offered a job with United Cattle Breeders in establishing this new AI company. The company then became part of CBS where he eventually became a non-executive director.

Over these years, Mr Smith took up cattle photography for CBS, other AI companies, individual herds nationally and the society.

Cows were purchased, bred, developed and sold.  In the early 80s a tenancy of a farm was taken, together with photography carrying on for a period of time alongside acting as a Buying Agent for cattle for export for British Livestock and LMS.

The herd was developed and entered into the very first Devon Club herds competition winning the small herd section which it continued to win until the entire milking section of the herd was sold to Lanhydrock Estate.

A couple of years after selling the milking herd, the small herd section was won again which continued every year until the herd dispersal.

Oakroyal represented Devon and won the southern region of the UK Premier Herd Competition seven times, gaining two thirds and second in the final before winning Champion Herd in 2018.

The herd was successfully dispersed the following week averaging £2002 per life which was an extremely high trade at the time.