A TIVERTON vet has won a top prize in the British Veterinary Association's (BVA) inaugural photography competition.

Stephen Powles, from Park Hill Veterinary Clinic in Tiverton, took a photo of a bat in flight which was entered into the Wonderful World of Animals category.

Mr Powles, who joined the BVA in 1983, stood out from over 400 entries and wowed the panel of judges with his bat photo.

He said: "I’m excited that the photo has received recognition – it was three years in the planning and not without an element of risk.

"The excitement on hearing that it had been recognised equated to the excitement that I felt when seeing it on the back of the camera for the first time.

"The bat in the photo is an Egyptian fruit bat and was one of a large roost of many thousand deep in a cave on Mt Elgon, Kenya.

"The bats exit the roost via a relatively small opening, making it the perfect location in which to photograph them."

BVA president Sean Wensley said: "There are many talents within the veterinary profession and spending time with animals, both inside and outside of their veterinary work, presents lots of opportunities for vets to capture eye-catching images.

"All the judges were excited to see the photographs that our members submitted, documenting the working lives of vets and the veterinary team and capturing the animal world through a vet’s eye."

Mr Powles won a £250 photography voucher, and the winner photographs will be printed in the September issue of the BVA news.