Latest news with #IsleOfWight
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Isle of Wight Festival bus driver escapes fire
A bus used to ferry passengers to and from the Isle of Wight Festival has been destroyed by fire. The driver managed to safely pull over before emergency services were called at 00:40 BST to Newport Road. No-one else had been onboard the bus which had been shuttling people between Cowes ferry terminal and the festival site in Newport. Richard Tyldsley, Southern Vectis general manager, said: "There was no prior warning of any issue, and the driver pulled over immediately and safely." "This type of incident is extremely rare, and we are investigating to establish the cause of the fire. Early indications suggest a mechanical issue," he said. The former Salisbury Reds bus has been retained on the island and is part of the additional fleet used for festival transport each year. "The vehicle has been maintained and was prepared for service by the Southern Vectis team," said Mr Tyldsley. The Isle of Wight Festival started on Thursday with some of the thousands of revellers making their way to the island. Headliners for this year's weekend-long event include Justin Timberlake and Stereophonics. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Isle of Wight Festival: What you need to know Isle of Wight Festival
BBC News
15 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Low-flying airliner over Poole Bay in oil spill exercise
A low-flying jet airliner seen off the coast of Dorset and the Isle of Wight has been taking part in an oil spill data showed the Oil Spill Response Boeing 727 flying as low as 700ft over Poole Bay as it worked with surface vessels on the simulated the three-day exercise, the converted tri-jet plane deposited harmless dye and water into the sea near the Needles lighthouse.A spokeswoman for Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) said it carried out the "live on-the-water exercise to train our response teams and develop our operational capabilities". OSRL is an international, industry-funded co-operative for oil spill preparedness and aircraft - adapted with internal tanks, pumps, and spray booms - took off from Cardiff, joining specialist vessels and a dedicated surveillance aircraft off the south coast, completing five flights from Tuesday to fluorescein dye was deposited to simulate an oil spill, allowing the vessels to carry out training activities before the aircraft sprayed the water over the target area to simulate the dispersant used in a real spill situation. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
AI to help tell donkeys apart at Isle of Wight sanctuary
Visitors to a donkey sanctuary will be able to identify their favourite adopted animal using artificial intelligence (AI) and their phone camera, researchers of Southampton scientists developing the mobile app - being used at the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary - said they hoped it could also help identify health issues in the app uses a library of hundreds of photographs of the donkeys from every angle, utilising machine-learning and AI to distinguish them from one still has a way to go, with the app having a coin-flip accuracy of only 50% at the moment. But project lead Dr Xiaohao Cai said he was confident it would be much improved and ready for the public to use by the end of the year."At the moment we're trying to bridge the gap between the experimental accuracy and the real-world accuracy," said Dr Cai. The idea emerged after it was noticed name collars worn by the donkeys were becoming hazardous and uncomfortable, said Gordon Pattison, volunteer and trustee of the sanctuary in Ventnor. "There had been some accidents and near misses, so we got rid of all the collars in 2023," said Mr Pattison. "They're not of any use to the animal, but they're incredibly useful to the public - some of whom will come and want to see a particular animal."The sanctuary raises funds by allowing visitors to adopt a donkey - something Mr Pattison said thousands of people had signed up to do. The app is called Ask ELVIS (Equine Long-range Visual Identification System), named after one of the sanctuary's donkeys who died in 2024 and was described by staff as an "iconic character". "When the app starts up, you see Elvis the donkey, and the idea is you're asking a donkey, 'who's that donkey over there?'" said Mr Pattison. The app will then show the donkey's name and a link to webpage where visitors can learn more about that animal. And asked if donkeys respond to their name, Mr Pattison said they do. He said in future the sanctuary hoped to work with scientists from the university to see if AI could also help monitor for health issues in the animals - but that project has not got off the ground yet. "At the moment we will pick it up (the health issue), but we might not pick it up immediately," he said. "[The donkeys] don't give out much, they're very stoic - so we have to look for subtle clues," he added. "The message is that AI isn't just for big state enterprises."If you've got an idea, it can help you out - you just need to approach the problem from a different point of view." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Science
- Telegraph
How red squirrels are fighting back against their grey cousins
Red squirrels are staging a comeback after being eliminated by their grey cousins, a study has suggested. A resurgence in pine martens, the natural predator of squirrels, has had a greater impact on the greys, which are not native to the British Isles and do not know to fear them. Red squirrels, which evolved alongside pine martens for centuries, can easily avoid the predators and become more wary when one is nearby, the study found, making the 'predator naive' greys easier prey. The reds have started to thrive as a result, despite increasing numbers of wild squirrel hunters. Red squirrels are native to the UK but have suffered significant population decline in recent decades because of the arrival of the larger grey variety from the US in the late 19th century. They have been reduced to small populations in parts of the British countryside such as Scotland, Anglesey and the Isle of Wight as their shared habitat was overtaken by greys, which are indiscriminate in what they eat and able to reproduce at a faster rate. Decline of pine martens Pine martens have also suffered a catastrophic population decline in recent decades, but efforts to protect, reintroduce and nurture the species in Britain and Ireland has assisted red squirrels. The study by the University of Galways laid wildlife cameras around the Irish countryside to monitor activity at feeding sites and discovered that red squirrels become wary in the presence of pine martens. However, greys were more unaware of the signs and were therefore more likely to be killed. Dr Emily Reilly, the study's lead author, told The Telegraph: 'Red squirrels would rarely even eat any food if a pine marten had been there in the last eight hours.' 'They slowly became less cautious but you could still see the effect even days after the pine marten visit. 'The grey squirrels do not have this response. This is most likely why their numbers have been decreasing since the pine marten has made a comeback.' A total of 491 squirrel visits were recorded in the study, compared to 226 pine marten sightings detected by the cameras. The data collected in western Ireland will probably apply to Britain, where pine marten numbers are also increasing, Ms Reilly said. The study said: 'Following a pine marten visit to a feeder, red squirrels displayed a typical anti-predator response, exhibiting increased vigilance and decreased feeding.' 'There was no difference in the duration of the red squirrels' visits to a feeder, meaning red squirrels did not display a flight reaction in response to recent pine marten presence.' The study is published in Royal Society Open Science.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Isle of Wight Festival: What you need to know
The Isle of Wight Festival returns to Seaclose Park in Newport this it first began in 1968 the event has drawn the biggest names in music to the island, including Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse and year's event, which as usual requires visitors to catch a ferry to reach the site, runs from 19 to 22 June, and includes Sting, Justin Timberlake and Stereophonics on the year's four-day festival welcomed 55,000 people to the island. Who is on the Isle of Wight Festival line-up? In addition to this year's headliners the bill includes English electronic groups Faithless and Clean Bandit, Irish rock band The Script, and US singer-songwriter Teddy rapper Example, former The Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton, former Yazoo member Alison Moyet, X-Factor alumnus Olly Murs, Mercury Music Prize-winners English Teacher, Britpop legends James and Supergrass, and the UK's 2025 Eurovision darlings Remember Monday will also that is still only skimming the surface. Also taking to the stage will be:BustedThe LathumsTexasThe Lottery WinnersThe CorrsDean LewisAmy MacDonaldElla EyreLightning SeedsThe Pigeon DetectivesThe Saw DoctorsBjörn AgainCrystal TidesThe SmythsRazorlightYard ActAlessi RoseMidge UrePale WavesTwin AtlanticAmbleNieve EllaArthur HillMae MullerMatilda MannThe LilacsEmmanuel KellyRhythm of the 90s Getting to the Isle of Wight Festival There are four mainland ferry ports at Southampton, Portsmouth, Lymington or Southsea, with Red Funnel, Wightlink, Hovertravel and all offering different routes to the ports are all served by rail and road can take their cars across from the mainland, though this will take longer, with Red Funnel and Wightlink operating three services between them. From Wednesday morning until Monday afternoon there will be a one-way system introduced on the island for festival-bound system will operate along Fairlee Road and traffic from Newport will be directed up Staplers Road, but residents are being warned to expect Green Coach is the festival's official travel partner, a "carbon neutral coach" which arrives at the festival's official coach park on Thursday or Friday and returns on up locations are in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, London Croydon, London Victoria, London Richmond, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, and on the Isle of Wight, Southern Vectis runs regular festival shuttle buses across the Cowes Floating Bridge, which carries vehicles, bikes, and foot passengers between Cowes and East Cowes, will be operating an extended timetable during the festival. When do the gates open and what can I bring? The campsite is scheduled to open at 10:00 on Thursday and close at 14:00 on car park gates open from 06:00 on are not allowed to bring the following items to the festival:GlassCandlesGas canisters larger than 300gSmoke canistersKnivesIllegal substancesLegal highsNitrous oxideLaser pensMegaphonesFireworksFlaresPoles, banners, and flagsAnimals (other than registered guide or hearing dogs)Any items which may be used as a weaponCamping-style chairs and inflatable seating are allowed on-site, but they cannot be taken beyond a designated point in the main arena. Anything else? Be sure to use the BBC website to check the latest weather forecast for Newport, but it never hurts to bring waterproofs in as with all festivals, it is always worth being aware of the health risks so you can enjoy the event safely - there are some top tips here. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
