TRAVELLERS are in shock following the death of a fellow traveller at the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

Teeman Jason Williams was found floating in a reservoir near the funfair on Wednesday, August 31.

The 27-year-old father-of-two drowned, an autopsy performed by a Home Office pathologist found.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Gypsy liaison officers escorted his grief-stricken parents - who like him, were staying on the temporary traveller site off the Blandford bypass - to see where their son was found.

Thirty caravans left the site in the wake of the death but the tragedy does not seem to have deterred other visitors.

Police have been praised for their sensitive handling of the bereaved.

General manager at North Dorset District Council, Joyce Guest, said: "It the tragedy has affected the travelling community.

"Quite a few travellers moved off yesterday Thursday. Some of them have gone home, they don't really want to go back to the steam fair again.

"The police have been amazing, the amount of resources they have put in.

"They were obviously there to make sure a similar incident didn't occur.

"They were fantastic with the travelling family, I was so taken with how concerned they were.

"I feel so sorry for the organisers of the steam fair and I realise how shocked they are."

Mrs Guest, who visited the site last night ,said: "There didn't seem to be any downturn in trade. It seemed to be really busy.

"The police are guarding the scene and there was a lot of curiosity around that."

Gypsy liaison officer Nia Bailey said the family of the young man had been offered every possible help and had been put in touch with the chaplain.

Mr Williams' brother-in-law, Yank, said: "He was a very nice man with a nice attitude to life. He was very kind-hearted and would go out of his way to do anything for you. He had a lot of friends and we will all miss him," he added.

First published: September 3, 2005