Latest news with #ForestOfDean
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Gloucestershire in Pictures: Caving, air shows and the Cotswolds
Gloucestershire is beautiful on the surface but now we know its charms also stretch have been able to explore a stunning new system of caverns and tunnels under English Bicknor in the Forest of Royal International Air Tattoo came to a close last weekend, and the Cheltenham Cricket Festival has been are some sights from across the county this week. Deeper and down: The network of caverns and tunnels found under Gloucestershire has been described as one of the largest systems found in the UK in a decade. Come fly with us: The Royal International Air Tattoo came to an end last weekend, with the Red Arrows, among others, entertaining tens of thousands of visitors to Fairford. Beautiful: One of our weather watchers, 'Scrambled Legs', caught this view in Lower Slaughter this week, with the sun reflecting off the Cotswold stone. Magnificent: There can be fewer better spots to catch the cricket than at the College Ground in Cheltenham, where Gloucestershire have been playing Lancashire this week. Stunning: This eye-catching view was captured from a high up spot in Churchdown. Bright blooms: Despite a grey morning in Lechlade, the colourful flowers in this part of the county shone through.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Woodcroft village to be cut off for four weeks by roadworks
Roadworks will close the only two routes in and out of a village for four weeks this summer, cutting off residents.A two-mile stretch of the B4228 through Woodcroft, which is just north of Chepstow in the Forest of Dean, will be closed for resurfacing work from Monday until 21 said they were frustrated by Gloucestershire County Council's suggestion to "plan around" the closure, as it will block off the only two routes in and out of the Harris, the council's cabinet member for highways, said: "We've listened to local concerns and to help reduce the impact we've changed our working hours to 09:00 to 15:00 BST each day." Villagers and businesses in Woodcroft said they were given only a few weeks of warning about the work."We were all very concerned," said Lois Bradburn, manager of The Rising Sun pub."The summer holidays are when we expect an increase in trade, with families on holiday in the area."Ms Bradburn said she received "a blanket response" from the council when she contacted it. "It didn't appear they were giving consideration to local residents or business," she added. Nick Evans, Forest of Dean district councillor, said: "I think it utterly fanciful that the county council's roadworks teams will be working over the full two-mile [3.2km] stretch of this closure, every day for a month."If the county council had asked local people about this, rather than imposing this blanket closure, we may have been able to help. But they seem totally unwilling to listen to legitimate concerns and are going to press on regardless, leaving local people trapped and frustrated."Mr Harris said the amended timings of the work should "minimise the overall inconvenience" and said residents were informed in advance."It's worth noting that many residents have been calling for this stretch of road to be resurfaced for quite some time and we're pleased to now be delivering this much-needed improvement," he added."Pedestrian and emergency service access will be maintained throughout, and a clearly signposted diversion route will be in place."
BBC News
6 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Explorers discover largest cave system found in over ten years
Have you ever gone off on an adventure and found something spectacular?Well, one team of cavers from Gloucester has done exactly that - an "exploratory urge" led them to one of the biggest discoveries in over a found a 10km (6 mile) long network of narrow passages and gaping caverns near English Bicknor in the Forest of team was led by conservation officer and retired physicist Dr Tim Nichols, and he said all their dreams came true when they stepped into it for the first time. The start of the network, called Redhouse Lane Swallet, was actually found first by a man called Paul Taylor in the Dr Tim explained that while exploring this mile-long original system, he felt a strong breeze coming from a passage filled with boulders at one end of it and simply had to investigate further."That exploratory urge to go and find where no person has ever been before is really special."With each trip it just kept getting better and better." It took a lot of hard work, but eventually his team of explorers successfully dug past the boulders in August last Tim said: "You have to pinch yourself, it is a once in a lifetime [find]."Every trip's just been like another birthday present and every trip we've been finding something different."Caves remain one of those things on the planet that are largely undiscovered."True genuine exploration - that's what's exciting about it," Dr Nichols added. Cool cave facts The largest network of caves in the UK is the Three Counties System in the Yorkshire DalesGaping Gill has the largest unbroken waterfall of any cave in the UK, and its main cavern is about 365ft (111m) deep, which is the same height as St Paul's Cathedral in LondonThe deepest known cave in the UK is in Derbyshire - it's called Titan, and is 141.5 meters (464 ft) deep
BBC News
7 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Caving team discover 'dream' 10km network under Forest of Dean
An "exploratory urge" led to the discovery one of the largest cave systems found in Britain in a decade, with cavers saying it was "a dream come true".The network of passages and giant caverns stretching for 10km (6 miles) was found near English Bicknor in the Forest of first part of the cave system, Redhouse Lane Swallet, was originally found in the 1990s by Paul Taylor, a caver from officer and retired physicist Dr Tim Nichols, who was part of a new generation of explorers which discovered the wider network of caverns, said he did not realise the significance of what they had recently found until they saw it. "The first time when we stepped into the new passage when there was just two of us - all of our dreams had come true," Dr Nichols said."That exploratory urge to go and find where no person has ever been before is really special."With each trip it just kept getting better and better."He explained a strong draught in the boulder filled passage at the end of the original network of caves had inspired him to delve sheer determination his team of explorers successfully dug past the boulders in August last year."You have to pinch yourself, it is a once in a lifetime [find]."Every trip's just been like another birthday present and every trip we've been finding something different.""Caves remain one of those things on the planet that are largely undiscovered."True genuine exploration - that's what's exciting about it," Dr Nichols added. Dr Nichols went on to explain how "it's the biggest find" in the UK in a long last discovery was made in 2010 in what is now the UK's longest cave system called The Three Counties, which was initially thought to be three separate systems. But in 2010, cavers discovered they were in fact interconnected making it 87km (54 miles) long. In the 1990s, Mr Taylor began exploration work on the Redhouse Lane Swallet in the Forest of Dean and after two years of digging discovered the initial cave system which was around a mile Taylor said he is "extremely honoured and proud" to be a part of this history-making discovery."I started caving when I was just 13 years old and I'm 71 years old now," he said."To be the very first person to shine your light down that passage and put your footprints down - it's an amazing experience," Mr Taylor added.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- BBC News
Girl, 16, 'strangled to unconsciousness by stranger' in Coleford
A man choked a teenage girl to the point of unconsciousness when she tried to break up an argument, police have attacker, thought to be in his late teens, was not known to the 16-year-old, who was said to have been extremely distressed by the Police said the attack happened near a Texaco garage in Coleford in the Forest of Dean, at about 19.30 BST on 31 girl was walking with a friend when she heard a man having an argument with another man and tried to de-escalate it, police said, before one of them turned on her and strangled her. She had no serious injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution. Investigators are now trying to find the two men. One was white with tanned skin and blond hair, 5ft 9in to 6ft tall, and between 16 and 18 years old. He was wearing a green second man was white, between 17 and 20 years old, and the same height. He was dressed in black. He had brown hair, shaved shorter at the bottom and longer on top, and facial are also trying to trace a member of the public who helped the girl after the attack on Old Station have asked for anyone who was in the area between 19:00 BST and 20.30 BST to contact them.
