new island England
© vision-air.co.ukThe new island developing off the coast of Fleetwood, northwest England
Stunning aerial footage shows a new island developing off the coast of Fleetwood.

A bank of shingle and stone has emerged from the sea and appears to be a permanent addition to the geography of the area.

Various theories abound as to its origin - ranging from a shift in the natural sediments to the resurfacing of stones from an ancient Roman port.

Phil Hodgson and Joe Helme of Fleetwood-based Vision Air filmed the island using drones after being taken out to the site, around two-and-a-half kilometres off Fleetwood's north shore, by Paul Ashworth of Fleetwood Lifeboat Station.

They carried out a full survey which shows the strip of land is 638 metres long, 10.2 metres high and 3.4 hectares square.


"Even at a normal high tide there is still a land mass visible.

"No-one can say why it is happening. The first thing you do is think about what is changing - the estuary doesn't get dredged any more as there isn't the same shipping traffic going into Fleetwood.

"We also have the wind turbines which have been built. Some people think maybe it is just returning to its natural state. "It is made up of shingle and stone and at the moment there is no vegetation.

"It has grown in quite a short time.

"The last time we did the RNLI wreck treck about three years ago, it wasn't there."

- Phil Hodgson, Vision Air
The Vision Air team, were accredited by the Civil Aviation Authority, to take around 200 photographs of the island during a survey on April 23.

There is a sandbank to the south side, water to the north and it is between 10 and 15 metres at the widest point.

While there is strong interest in the new island, people are being warned not to go out to it.

As for claiming ownership the land is easily within UK territorial waters which stretch to just under 14 miles.