Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

Getty Images Portsmouth goalkeeper Alan Knight, circa 1980. He has medium length blonde hair.Getty Images
Alan Knight made 801 appearances for Pompey – the record for a keeper at a single English club

Stories about Reading Festival, goalkeeping legend Alan Knight, and Brussels sprouts have been among the most popular in the South this week.

In case you missed them, we have picked five articles from the past seven days across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

Visitors disturb bird site and pose for nest cam

RSPB Arne Two children and an adult wearing red adventure helmets and lifejackets peer into the lens of a nest cam. The child in the foreground has their hands over the edge of the enclosure. Their faces are blurred out.RSPB Arne
One family pulled faces into a nest cam after passing signs telling them not to land on the beach

Visitors to a nature reserve are disturbing wildlife and putting the landscape at risk, according to the charity that manages the site.

The RSPB says it has seen an increase in antisocial behaviour at Arne nature reserve, near Wareham, Dorset, and people have been dropping cigarette butts and ignoring signs aimed at protecting birds.

It cited one incident in July when a family disregarded "no landing" signs near breeding oystercatchers and were even captured pulling faces into a nest camera.

'It's a lot nicer going to a festival alone'

A woman in a black sleeveless top and sunglasses on her head is smiling for a picture at the arena of Reading Festival. Other festival-goers are seen walking towards the stage behind her.
Tilly Davies says attending a festival alone "is not as scary as you think"

An 18-year-old who attended Reading Festival by herself for a second time says it is a "lot nicer going alone".

Last year Tilly Davies, from Northamptonshire, was supposed to come to the annual event with friends. When they could not get tickets she went anyway.

She told the BBC even though it could get "a bit lonely", it was possible to make friends and, once you get to enjoy the music, "it doesn't really affect you much".

Davies said she would definitely recommend the solo experience to others, adding it meant she could go and see whichever act she liked.

Could Brussels sprouts be off the Christmas menu?

Getty Images A bowl of Brussels sprouts with one cut in half.Getty Images
After a long hot summer Brussels sprout yields are bring hit by a "plague" of flea beetles

An organic farmer in Oxfordshire has warned that the intense heat this summer has created perfect conditions for a "plague" of flea beetles that love to feast on the leaves of his Brussels sprouts.

George Bennet said his sprouts are "touch and go" after a year that has "really pushed us to the limits".

But fear not, there may still be hope for any Brussels buffs out there.

"We will still have Brussels sprouts but they are likely to be quite small, not the big ones that are much easier to peel on your Christmas dinner," he explained.

Kitten dies after being abandoned in a box

Friends of the Animals Two kittens, days old, being held by someone wearing a bright pink shirt.Friends of the Animals
The kittens, named Scooter and Vespa, were found abandoned in a box

Friends of the Animals, a charity based in Newport, Isle of Wight, said it received a message from The Veterinary Hospital on Riverway to say a member of the public had found two kittens in a box on the cycle track between Cowes and Newport.

Helen Luff from the charity said the kittens, named Scooter and Vespa by vet staff, were found on Sunday but Vespa died on Monday.

She said the kittens were "full of fleas", some "half the size of a fingernail", and added that the kittens, which she believes were about 10-14 days old when they were found, had "no immune system".

Calls for 'fitting tribute' to goalkeeping legend

Jason Brown Photography A man with very short grey hair and wearing glasses on top of his head holding up a framed honour. He's wearing a blue, red and white jacket and smiling at the camera. Behind him, crowds of people are clapping in front of blue raked seating.Jason Brown Photography
Alan Knight revealed he had prostate cancer in 2024

Football fans have called for a permanent tribute to honour their former goalkeeper, known as The Legend.

Alan Knight played 801 games for Portsmouth Football Club in a career which stretched from 1978 to 2000 - a record for a keeper at a single English club.

The 65-year-old died on Tuesday after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024.

"I don't know why there wouldn't be a statue of Alan Knight, I don't know why there wouldn't be a stand named after him," said Joe Hepworth, a lifelong Portsmouth fan.