The Islands’ police have used captor spray for the first time.

It was used to subdue an 18-year-old male who allegedly refused to leave the Scillonian Club on St Mary’s early Monday morning.

A spokesperson said: “The male was aggressive and displayed violence to the police who used captor spray to facilitate his arrest.”

He was held at the Islands’ police station for several hours before being released and given an £80 penalty notice.

Captor spray - which replaced the old CS spray - causes a stinging sensation which forces a person’s eyes to shut and works for up to 40 minutes.

A pensioner died and two men were airlifted to hospital when their boat capsized off Scilly.

Margaret Yeats and her husband William were on board the 16ft vessel with friend Brian Richards when it capsized between St Mary’s and St Agnes at about 4pm on Sunday.

They were picked up by a local boat but the woman was already dead, Falmouth Coastguards said.

The couple, in their 70s, were believed to have been visiting Mr Richards, an Islander in his 80s, when the accident happened. 

William Yeats has been released from Treliske hospital in Truro and Mr Richards is expected to be released tomorrow.

Ian Guy, watch officer at Falmouth Coastguard, said: “The winds had been reasonably light. The tides can have an effect as well as the wind. There weren’t strong weather warnings in force.”

He added that the RNLI lifeboat and an RNAS Culdrose helicopter helped with the rescue.

A man has been rescued after ascending too quickly while diving off the Islands.

An RNAS Culdrose helicopter picked up the diver, who was suffering from the bends, at around noon on Saturday.

He was taken to the decompression unit at Derriford hospital in Plymouth.

Bathers have been warned to be on the look out after potentially deadly Portuguese man-o’-war was spotted off the Islands.

One of the creatures washed up on Porthmeor beach at St Ives on Monday - and marine officers have revealed that more were seen off Scilly earlier this month.

The find at St Ives is only the sixth in British waters since 2003 and is thought to have blown onto the shore after a weekend of strong winds in the region. Experts now believe there could be many others in the area.

Peter Richardson of the Marine Conversation Society said: “Contact with the tentacles results in agonising stings that leave painful lesions, and a few have resulted in fatalities. Victims can suffer intense fever and anaphylactic shock.

“Children in particular are at risk. Beach users should be aware that these animals can present a serious threat.

“A conservative estimate would probably say there are something like tens on the British coast, but there could be more, we don’t know yet. They are quite rare and it’s only when you get strong south-westerly winds like over the weekend that they wash up.

“We are not expecting swarms of them to wash up and start stinging people, so there is no need to panic.”

Anyone spotting a man-o’-war is asked to call the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network hotline on 0845 201 2626.

A 25-year-old Sheffield man has been told he will never walk again after injuring his spine running into the sea off St Mary’s.

Darren Fletcher, player for rugby union club Hull Ionians, was airlifted to Treliske hospital after jarring his neck on the sea bed at Hugh Town.

He had spent several hours drinking in the Mermaid Inn at a wake for Adam Mallon, a fellow rugby player who was killed in a car crash on the mainland.

He reportedly ran along Town beach joking that he was going to save friends who were “tombstoning” from the harbour. A friend is quoted as saying: “He was pretending to be David Hasselhoff in Baywatch. He thought the water was deeper than it was.”

A police spokesman said: “It is absolutely tragic. He had been at a funeral all day and had a fair amount to drink. From the pub, you can see local people jumping off the quay into the sea and this man was obviously tempted.

“We think he may have even had a go himself at some point but later that night he ran straight into the water. We don’t know how he hurt himself so badly - it was in such shallow waters. It is particularly sad because it all happened after a funeral.”

Islands PC Tony Kan added: “We can only repeat our advice that this kind of activity often leads to tragic consequences. This has been a terrible tragedy for this young man and his family and friends.”

Final plans for Sunday’s annual Sports and Music Festival on St Mary’s have been unveiled.

The 12-hour event is expected to attract more than 2,000 people to the Garrison, and mainland visitors will be able to take part with a special sailing of the Scillonian III  from Penzance.

A full programme of music will start at noon with Immortal Thoughts and includes sets from Rob Coakley, Rusted, the Tea Band, No Pulse, Hooligans, Loaded, Back Chat and a performance from Five Star.

The evening sessions will begin with Road Runner from 6pm, followed by Nut Rock, The Steam Band and a finale from Touching Cloth.

Sports events include Junior 6-a-side football from 10.30am with the adult event from 1pm, mixed netball events from 1.30pm, junior running races from 2pm and the ‘It’s a Knockout Challenge’ from 2.30pm.

Organisers have promised that no-one will go hungry or thirsty at the festival. A beer tent will host a selection of real ales, while food on offer will range from hot dogs and pasties to cream teas and Chinese food.

Groups and individuals from all five islands will take part in the event to help raise money for causes including IOS gigs, Tresco and Bryher Gigs, St Mary’s League Of Friends, the School Sports Fund and the Air Ambulance.

Admission is free but organisers will be delighted if attendees choose to make a donation at the front gate.

Radio Scilly has launched its online streaming with the sound of the sea at Porthmellon beach.

The web feed also features test transmission announcements and jingles, which will be used when the station goes live on September 3.

Listeners to the streaming at Radio Scilly will be able to hear exactly what Islanders receive on 107.9FM.

The sounds were recorded by director Keri Jones, who stood ankle deep in water at Porthmellon at 9am on August 7.

“We’re just running a loop right now, but music tests will start from the Saturday of the Bank Holiday and we’ll be out and about a great deal over the weekend, with a stall at the Garrison Sports and Music Festival,” writes Keri on his blog.

A body - thought to be that of missing teenager Robert Merton - has been pulled from the sea off St Agnes.

The coastguard and lifeboat recovered the body, which is believed to have been in the water for some time.

There has been no official identification, but police say they may have found the St Martins 17-year-old.

Robert, a well-known gig rower and cricket player, was reported missing after leaving home for a paddle in his canoe on July 26.

His family has been informed of the discovery.

Radio Scilly is urging people to join its Lottery for a new chance to win £1,000 every week.

Participants can spend just £1 for a play in the weekly draw.

The Lottery is open to Islanders, visitors and mainlanders and benefits good causes on Scilly, as well as helping keep the station on air.

Entrants can increase their chances of winning by signing up for 3 or 4 weekly plays at a cost of just £3 or £4 a week with a standing order.

Download the Lottery entry form as a PDF file from here at
http://www.radioscilly.com/scillylotteryform.pdf.

Or send a cheque for a year’s worth of plays (52 X
your weekly amount) or pay directly online with paypal at
http://www.scillylottery.com.

If you really get stuck, give the studio a call on 01720 423417
or email studio@radioscilly.com.

A man attempting to travel from Cornwall to the Islands on a raft made of surfboards has been rescued.

The Sennen Cove lifeboats were launched on Wednesday when the raft was spotted by a fishing boat between Land’s End and Longships.

The man - who is not thought to have been injured - was brought to safety at Sennen Cove.

The RNLI said he was in a “perilous situation” due to worsening sea conditions.