A photographer who captured on camera a rare encounter with a white hart deer in the wilds of Devon said he felt “awe” he felt coming within feet of it.

Brian Johnston, a lorry driver who photographs wildlife in his spare time, said it was following a two-day mission that he finally spotted the stag dozing in a field.

“It really is a spectacle to see this mythic-like creature - and to just to see one sitting in a field is pretty special,” he said.