Wiltshire in pictures: Spinal tattoos to air tattoos

From spinal surgery tattoos to world music festivals, from air shows to epic roadworks - here is a selection of pictures from the week of news in Wiltshire.

"Not just a tattoo": The striking image from a Swindon tattoo artist maps out the rod and bolts attached to the spine of a fitness instructor who has scoliosis.

Laura Ellis, 37, wanted it done in part to "stop the bullying" she's experienced as it visually represents her spinal problems.

"It's not just a tattoo, it's something that might actually make my life a little easier," she said.

The work was carried out by Strange Ways Tattoo artist Nick Ferris in Swindon, as a result of a £500 fundraiser.

Wiltshire's biggest festival got under way this week, with WOMAD once again pulling in an eclectic range of music and arts performances from all sorts of genres right across the world.

Last year, more than 40,000 people attended the event at Charlton Park near Malmesbury.

"You are always walking around, and you will hear some music and you will see a sight and think, 'What is that?'", said WOMAD programmer Paula Henderson.

"You stop, take the time and you sit down and listen, or you dance. It just ends up being a beautiful weekend."

Musician Peter Gabriel first started the event in 1982.

For a few hours, this runway, stretching the Wiltshire-Gloucestershire boundary, was the busiest in the world.

The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford is over for another year, attracting an estimated 150,000 visitors.

The 248 aircraft from 29 different countries all had to head back home afterwards, meaning for a few hours on Monday it became one of the busiest airstrips on the planet.

Customs problems have delayed the opening of a new £475,000 splash park at Swindon's Coate Water.

Swindon Borough Council said the soft flooring surface for the facility had been ordered from Spain and was delayed at customs.

The splash park is designed to be fully accessible and is set to include a paddling pool, water features and games.

A council spokesperson said it will still open this summer and a date will be announced when the flooring has arrived.

Work is finally starting to repair what's been dubbed England's wonkiest road.

Lyneham Banks, on the B4069, has been closed since a landslip in February 2022, which broke up the road and moved it 25m (27 yards) downhill.

It has taken so long to get started in part because they had to wait for the land to stop moving.

Contractors started setting up their base on site this week, with work expecting to last nine months.

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