The Devon County Show is offering trade stand holders a 25 per cent refund on their stand fees after it was forced to abandon the third day.

Letters are going out this week and offer traders the choice of either applying for a refund or making a donation to the Devon County Agricultural Association, which stages the Show.

Show Secretary, Ollie Allen said: “The DCAA Board of Management fully appreciate that the decision to abandon the third day on Saturday was heart breaking and although we have a ‘force majeure’ in our regulations, the Board agreed to offer trade stand exhibitors a partial refund as a gesture of goodwill.”

The DCAA is also offering trade stand holders, which total more than 800, the option of donating the refundable proportion of the fee in support of its charitable activities which include the promotion of food and farming, educational projects with local schools, farming awards and student bursaries.

All claims must be received by the end of June and will be processed by the end of July.

The third day of the Show on Saturday was abandoned for the first time in the Show’s history in the interests of public safety following exceptional levels of rainfall which made the car parks potentially unsafe. It is estimated that this decision will lead the DCAA to incur losses of around £500,000.

The small team of staff which puts on the annual celebration of life in Devon’s countryside is working flat-out to handle the implications of this decision before preparing for next year’s Show which will be held on May 21-23.