The company which operates the River Dart Country Park, Ashburton, has been told it will not have to pay compensation of £5 million to a teacher left paralysed following a 'welly wanging' contest.

The ruling was made in the High Court, on Monday, by Mr Justice Globe after a five-day hearing.

The court heard that on April 19, 2007, Glenn Blair-Ford, of Dartford, Kent, had suffered a 'catastrophic' spinal injury in the course of throwing a boot backwards through his legs.

It was his case that he had been asked by country park staff to throw the footwear in a manner that was unsafe.