‘Mayday Stinky Bay’: Ordnance Survey adds nicknames to database to aid rescuers

OS Vernacular Names Tool contains unofficial names of 9,000 UK locations created by local people

From Stinky Bay to Sausage Island, local nicknames for UK landmarks have long been a source of amusement. But in an emergency, the last thing rescuers need to grapple with is how to find Crazy Mary’s Hole.

Fortunately Ordnance Survey (OS) has added thousands of these unofficial names for cliffs, caves, sandbanks, coastal carparks and buildings to a database for the emergency services.