Hampshire & Isle of Wight weekly round-up: 17 February - 23 February 2024

The species is native to the rivers of south and southeast Asia

A story about a rare turtle being discovered by a team from the University of Portsmouth was among our most read stories this week in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.

A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Solent and South Today.

We have picked five stories to keep you up to date.

Rare turtle discovered in India by UK scientists

They are classified as critically endangered

The first breeding population of an "incredibly rare" turtle has been discovered in India.

Conservationists, including from the University of Portsmouth, uncovered the nesting site of the "secretive" Cantor's giant softshell turtle.

The species, which is native to the rivers of south and south-east Asia, is classified as critically endangered.

The elusive turtle was found on the banks of the Chandragiri River in Kerala, southern India.

Dream wedding dress 'swiped' from bride's doorstep

Becky Herbert and her fiancé tie the knot on 27 August

A bride-to-be has been left devastated after a parcel containing her dream wedding dress was stolen from her doorstep.

Becky Herbert, from Aldershot in Hampshire, ordered the £250 garment ahead of her wedding in August.

But just minutes after it was delivered to her house at 14:30 GMT on 3 February, it vanished.

Cocaine worth £450m found in cargo of bananas

The blocks of drugs were stashed in boxes of the fruit which arrived from South America

The largest ever seizure of Class A drugs in the UK, with an estimated street value of £450m, has been uncovered in a shipment of bananas.

The 5.7-tonne haul of cocaine was found in a container from South America at Southampton Port on 8 February.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the drugs were heading to Hamburg in Germany and inquiries were ongoing to identify the criminals involved.

The previous record was 3.7 tonnes of cocaine, also at Southampton, in 2022.

Placenta on pathway mystery solved

A path off Dale Road in Southampton was cordoned off by police after the discovery in June 2023

A mother and baby whose placenta was found on a path have been identified following an eight-month police investigation.

The placenta was found off Dale Road in Southampton, on 21 June.

There had been concerns about the wellbeing of the mother and baby, with police and health authorities making repeated appeals for information.

Police have now confirmed they are both safe and well and no criminal investigation will take place.

Appeal to cyclists who tried to save man's life

Emergency services were sent to the cycle track on 1 February at about 14:00 GMT

Two cyclists who tried to save a man's life are being urged to come forward by police.

The man and woman went to the 25-year-old's aid after they found him near Sunshine Trail cycle track, Alverstone, on the Isle of Wight, on 1 February.

Despite their "commendable efforts" and treatment by emergency services he died at the scene, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.

The force said no third party involvement in the death was suspected.