FRIENDS in Okehampton have paid tribute to one of the town's most respected residents, who died tragically last weekend.

Dave Jamieson, who was 49 and lived in Okehampton, was at a private barbecue in Lifton when he fell 60ft into a lake after a fence gave way.

A women in her 30s and from Okehampton also fell and was rescued from the water. She was airlifted to Derriford Hospital where her condition this week was described as 'comfortable'.

The tragedy happened at Tinhay Lake, which is owned by the neighbouring Arundell Arms and is up to 90ft deep in places. It was formally a limestone quarry.

Tributes to Mr Jamieson, who worked in and around the town for more than 30 years, have poured in from some of his closest friends, who spoke fondly of the motorcycle enthusiast.

Martin Adkins, who had known Mr Jamieson for more than 35 years, described him as 'the sort of guy who would do anything for anybody'.

He said: 'Over the years I attended his wedding to Tracey and celebrated the birth of his son Luke.

'He was a fantastic friend who would drop everything to help one of his mates. He's often helped me and many other friends with motorcycle problems — he was never happier than when tinkering with a motorbike.'

Good friend Gideon Hutt, who had known Mr Jamieson for the last 27 years, spoke fondly of his friend: 'He was one of those blokes everyone liked and he was well known around Okehampton.

'Dave knew a lot of businesses and had worked as a welder, bike builder and mechanic — he was very well respected.

'He was the sort of bloke you could ring in the middle of the night and he would do anything for you, anytime of the day — nothing was too much trouble.

'He was like a brother to me and he will be well missed by everyone.'

Mr Jamieson, who had lived in Okehampton and surrounding area for most of his life, completed his education at Okehampton College, formally known as Okehampton School.

He enjoyed attending motorcycle shows all around the country, often taking his tent along with him.

Former employer and owner of North Street Motors in North Tawton, Alec Ranford, said a lot of people would miss 'a very genuine man'.

He said: 'I have known Dave since he was 17 and I'm 50 now.

'He was a great mate, always there for people if they ever needed a hand.

'Dave worked on Saturdays and he also helped me out for a day or two when I started restoring Minis.

'There were no undertones with him — what you saw, was what you got.'

Richard Brock, the owner of Exbourne Garage, where Mr Jamieson also worked for seven or eight years, said: 'Nothing was ever too much trouble and he was just a nice guy to know.

'In all the years he worked for me, we never had a cross word and he was always willing to go out of his way and help.

'He was also a perfectionist with what he did and was very good at it.

'Without a doubt, he will be a loss to the community, he was a very knowledgeable man — he's just going to be irreplaceable.'

Emergency services were called to the scene just before 1am on Sunday.

Police Supt Sarah Sharp said: 'The difficulty with any quarry water is that it's extremely deep and extremely cold, and usually with very steep sides.

'It was a very difficult location to access and it was dark as well, so it was a very difficult rescue scenario.'

Mayor of Okehampton David Weekes, who was also a friend of Mr Jamieson, said: 'Dave was one of the good guys.

'I have known him all my life and he was well liked around the town.

'He loved his motorbikes and just enjoyed a yap and a bit of fun — he would do anything for anyone and what has happened is such a tragic thing.'

Funeral arrangements had yet to be finalised as the Times went to press.