Southsea Solent Wheel falls foul of brent geese
- Published
A Ferris wheel is to be taken down amid fears geese could fly into it on their way to feed at nearby mudflats.
The 35m (115ft) Solent Wheel in Southsea is going after its owners said they were unable to "resolve planning issues regarding brent geese".
In order for the ride to remain, a bird survey would need to show that winter operation would not have a significant effect on the geese.
The wheel is expected to be dismantled in October.
'Collision risks'
A Natural England spokesman said it was "concerned about the potential impacts to internationally-important bird populations which fly between the land adjacent to the wheel and mudflats in the nearby harbours".
The spokesman added: "Tall structures so close to important feeding sites can increase collision risks and may deter the birds from accessing their winter sites."
The geese arrive in large flocks from early October. According to the RSPB, the Southsea area has a flock of more than 2,600.
Clarence Pier, the owner of the Ferris wheel, said: "Our plans at present are to relocate it to another resort."
The £750,000 wheel broke down on Monday, leaving a 66-year-old grandmother and her six-year-old grandson stuck in a pod 25m (82ft) in the air.
The attraction, which opened in April, is expected to run for the last time on 30 September.
Brent Geese
- There are two types of brent geese - dark bellied and pale bellied.
- Dark-bellied geese breed in northern Russia and head to southern and eastern England for winter.
- Pale-bellied brent geese breed mostly in Canada and Greenland and spend the winter mostly in Ireland.
- Brent geese arrive in the UK in October and depart in March
- The geese eat vegetation, especially eel-grass
Source: RSPB
- Published30 October 2012