A South Hams town is in mourning two men died in tragic circumstances just before Christmas.

Vini Taylor and Jason Wickenden, both from Dartmouth, will be sadly missed by many from the town and the surrounding area.

Just before Christmas, on Friday, December 21, Vini, the caretaker for Dartmouth Town Council, was involved in a two-car crash on the M5 near Taunton.

He was taken to hospital with serious injuries and died.

Emergency services spent the festive period searching for Jason Wickenden, who had gone missing.

Last Saturday, officers were called after the body of a man was seen in the river Dart. HM Coastguard and the Dartmouth Lifeboat attended the scene and the man was recovered.

At the time of going to press, formal identification had not taken place, although Jason’s family was still informed of the situation.

The Chronicle has received heart-warming tributes, showing how both men were much loved and will be missed in the town.

At the full meeting of Dartmouth Town Council on Monday, town mayor Rob Lyon asked councillors and the public to spend a few moments in silence thinking about Vini and the loss to the town and council.

Town chaplain, Fr Will Hazlewood, said a prayer for the 59-year-old at the town meeting.

He concluded the prayer with: “May Vini rest in peace and rise in glory, Amen.”

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Dartmouth Town Council has since said its members are “very shocked and saddened to hear the terrible news” about the council’s caretaker just before Christmas.

A spokesman added: “Vini was a lovely man who was very community spirited and it was a real joy to have had him working with us.

“He was an important part of our team and will be greatly missed by all members of staff, councillors and all users of the Guildhall who met him.

“Vini took great pleasure in his job here with us at the town council. Nothing was too much trouble for him and he enjoyed interacting and helping all the residents of Dartmouth.

“He will be sadly missed and our thoughts are with his family.”

The police are still appealing for witnesses following the fatal collision, which occurred on the M5 northbound in Somerset, between the Wellington and Taunton junctions.

A man in his 20s driving the other vehicle was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and was later released under investigation.

If you were on the motorway at the time and witnessed the collision, or saw a white Audi A3 or a black Mini Cooper in the moments before it happened, please get in touch with the police.

Officers can be contacted via the website at avonandsomerset.police.uk/contact, or by calling 101, quoting reference 5218281062.

Jason, who ran Dittisham Ferries, was a popular and friendly face on the river Dart for many years.

The 44-year-old was last seen at 9.15pm on Thursday, December 20, in Dartmouth.

Emergency services were tasked to search for Jason that weekend, including a police dive team, with the divers searching the area around the missing man’s boat as well as other areas of interest.

A police spokesman said they had received a 999 call at 11am on Saturday, January 5, to a report of a person in the water.

Falmouth Coastguard had reported a sighting of a body in the water near the course of the Lower Ferry in the harbour.

Both RNLI Dart lifeboats were launched, which liaised with the harbourmaster to recover the body. The crew of the RNLI Dart D-class inshore lifeboat recovered the body, assisted by the crew of the Dart B-class lifeboat.

Afterwards the recovered body was transferred for handover to the police.

Dart harbourmaster Captain Mark Cooper said Jason was well-liked by all who knew him.

“My experience of him was that he was an absolute gentlemen who worked hard and was very kind to all those around him, including those in business competition,” said Cpt Cooper. “I know from the comments I’ve received that he’ll be greatly missed by his family and all of those who use the river.”

Work colleague and friend Stephen Norvill has also paid tribute to Jason, saying: “He was always such a happy chap and always told a good story during the eight years we worked together on the ferry.

“Even when it was horrible weather and horizontal rain was coming towards us, Jason had a smile on his face at the end of the working day.”

Stephen told of how much Jason will be missed by so many friends on the river.

“He didn’t run the ferry to make money, he worked on the ferry because he loved to work on the river Dart and be on the water,” continued Stephen. “He’ll be greatly missed as a great work colleague and a friend. The ferry users will greatly miss him.”