This week Google launched an absolutely massive update to Street View in Hong Kong, Macau, and in particular, the UK. With an incredible 96% of British roads now visible, there were always going to be scandals about what was discovered.

While some are making objections to the passing car in their own special way, others aren’t really understanding the nature of the technology.

This woman was inside when she spotted the Google car, and leapt up to expose her bra through a window at the passing car.

However she probably failed to realise that – while the existence an anonymised picture of you flashing your underwear isn’t a particularly risky thing in itself – having a picture of you posted on Google Maps while flashing your underwear at work is probably another matter.

And it’s another matter entirely when you work at a nursery school.

We’ve decided not to link to the actual location yet, as the woman in question could perceivably lose her job over it. Suffice it to say that there is no doubt about the nature of business conducted here – we looked it up.

Thanks to the reader who sent this in (we’ve decided not to publish your name either).

For all the very latest funny and shocking Street View sightings, you should follow us on Twitter!

In an absolutely enormous update, Google have in the last few minutes launched brand new Street View images for the whole of the UK – bringing the total coverage to a reported 96% of all UK roads.

The images cover roads from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, and actually extend all the way beyond, right up into Shetland.

Google have recorded images of a further 210,000 miles of roads, bringing the total to approximately 246,985 miles of coverage.

We expect lots of new fascinating and probably scandalous sights to be discovered in the next couple of days, so be sure to leave a comment with a link to anything you find!

Update: This update also provided imagery for Hong Kong and Macau.

For all the very latest funny and shocking Street View sightings, you should follow us on Twitter!

The village of Hampi is a site of Hindu pilgrimage and the location of the former capital city of the Vijayanagara empire. Its temples and ruins are a World Heritage Site collectively known as The Group of Monuments at Hampi.

The Monuments can generally be grouped into three sections; the Sacred Centre, the Riverside Ruins and the Royal Centre.

The Sacred Centre

The focal point of the Sacred Centre is the Virupaksha Temple. Hampi’s history as a Hindu holy site dates to about the 7th century – long before the empire took hold – though it has been expanded by different rulers through the ages. The most identifiable structure – a nine-tiered tower – is actually a gatehouse leading to the inner courtyards which house the main temple and various shrines.

The ceremonial road running east from the temple is known as Hampi Bazaar. Originally lined with market stalls and the homes of wealthy citizens, parts of this street have now been taken over by poor local residents and those running businesses aimed at tourists.

The Vijayanagara Empire thrived from the 14th century, dominating this part of India. With up to a quarter of a million habitants, Hampi was possibly the largest city in the world at the time. This all came to an end when the king was killed in 1565 – following which the capital was plundered and ruined.

Beyond one of the rocky hills for which the region is known, we find the Courtesan’s Street – also a market – and the Achyuta Raya Temple which was one of the final construction projects before the destruction of the empire.

Another large shrine in this area is the Sri Krishna Temple which is noted for detailed carvings depicting religious stories.

There are numerous other small temples and shrines in the Sacred Centre, though most are hidden amongst the rocks, or in smaller buildings not visible on Google’s images.

The Riverside Ruins

The Riverside Ruins lie along the banks of the Tungabhadra River which formed a protective barrier to the north of the city. This area is dominated by the Vittala Temple, one of the most elaborate complexes.

A large stone chariot – the centrepiece of the courtyard – is carved from several granite blocks. Two stone elephants have replaced the monumental horses which were originally positioned in front of the chariot.

The Royal Centre

The Royal Centre encompasses a much larger area to the south of the present village and includes a huge number of historically and architecturally significant ruins. The royal palaces were mostly built of wood so were burned in the destruction of the city, leaving only foundations and basements visible.

Nearby are four tanks or bathing areas – a pair of octagonal structures, the Queen’s Bath (lower right in the thumbnail image; probably actually used by the King) and a large elaborately-stepped tank (upper left).

Visible near this tank and many other structures are the remains of a widespread system of aqueducts and canals which carried water throughout the complex.

Just to the north-west is a large enclosure which may have served a number of uses – possibly military or administrative. The royal mint and granaries (circles in the first image) are generally agreed upon by historians, along with the beautiful domed elephant stables.

Sections of fortified walls can still be seen around the complex. Experts believe that there were up to seven concentric walls protecting the capital, up to about 32km from the centre.

There are literally dozens more structures, temples and other archeological discoveries visible on the satellite images. These maps – from the excellent Hampi website – can be useful when trying to identify them.

Forget the Oscars – these are the awards that count at Google Sightseeing! The guys at Google are planning to expand their Street View coverage of the UK in the near future, and to get us in the mood they asked the public to vote for their favourite British streets in three categories: the most picturesque, the best for fashion and the best for food.

Now more than 11,000 votes have been counted, and the three Best Streets in Britain have been named. Not all the winners are yet visible on Street View, but rumour has it that Google will be putting that right soon, so watch this space…

Most picturesque street: Shambles, York

It might seem odd that the name of the winner in this category normally describes something that’s a total mess – but “shambles” originally referred to a meat market. This narrow medieval street in York is lined with timber-framed buildings, some of them more than 600 years old, which used to house at least two dozen butchers’ shops. Raw meat would be displayed on shelves outside the shops, and the gutter down the middle of the street would run with blood and offal.

Today, there are no butchers on the Shambles itself (although there is still one on the adjacent Little Shambles) and things are somewhat less gory – chocolate shops and tea rooms are the order of the day.

At number 35, you can see the former home of Margaret Clitherow, who was arrested in 1586 for harbouring Catholic priests, and sentenced to death by “pressing” (being crushed beneath a heavy weight). She was made a saint in 1970 and the house is now a shrine.

Most picturesque street runner-up: Royal Crescent, Bath

This grand curve of Georgian houses was designed by John Wood the Younger and completed in 1774. There’s no Street View yet, but Wikipedia has a good panorama of the whole street.

A couple of interesting bits of trivia about the Royal Crescent: firstly, although the facades of the houses are all uniform, you can see from the aerial view that the design of the houses behind varies widely, as each was built to a different specification for the original buyers. Second, it has been suggested that the crescent, together with the Circus (the circular road just to the east) and streets just to the south were laid out to represent Masonic symbols.

Most picturesque street runner-up: Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

Another curving Georgian street, this one was built in the 1830s. Although pipped to the top spot in Google’s awards, it headed a list of Britain’s favourite streets as voted by BBC Radio 4 listeners in 2002. (If you’re wondering about the rather drab name, it commemorates Earl Grey – yes, the same man who gave us funny-tasting tea.)

Best fashion street: Milsom Street, Bath

Another award for the city of Bath, which is not yet covered by Street View. The buildings here were originally grand town houses, but over time it has become a renowned shopping street, with small boutiques as well as Jolly’s department store, which dates back to the 1830s and is now part of the House of Fraser chain. Find more photos of the area at Geograph.

Best foodie street: High Street, Stockbridge

The market town of Stockbridge lies in the valley of the River Test, one of Hampshire’s famous trout streams. Its broad high street won the award for its range of pubs, inns, restaurants and specialist food shops¹. Again there’s no Street View yet, but you can find plenty more photos on Geograph.

You can see the full list of nominees here, with links to Street Views of those that are covered. But do you know better? Have you found a more picturesque, stylish or downright tasty street, in the UK or abroad? If it’s on Street View, let’s have a look at it…

In 1859 a wealthy man bought a piece of land overlooking the River Clyde, on which he built a mansion. When the mansion was expanded in 1892, an access road over the Overtoun Burn was required, and so the Overtoun Bridge was built.

50 years later a bizarre series of suicides began to take place on the bridge, whereby dogs would regularly throw themselves to their deaths from the parapets.

Since the suicides began, it is claimed that at least 50 dogs have killed themselves here; all at virtually the same spot, and all of them long-nosed breeds.

Why they jumped is still a mystery.

Many theories have been put forward; hypnotic water sounds, some sort of interference from a nearby nuclear base, electrical impulses, and even ghosts – but it took a canine psychologist (and a Channel 5 documentary) to provide a vaguely plausible explanation.

Bing maps view of Overtoun bridge and one of the estate’s buildings.

Dr David Sands found that Mink were breeding under the bridge, and posits that their strong scent is simply irresistible to inquisitive dogs. Combine this with a dog’s low viewpoint, and perhaps one can see why a dog would leap over the edge to their death.

However, with around 20,000 mink in Scotland, it seems a little strange that dogs aren’t chucking themselves off more bridges all over the country.

So, why do you think all these dogs decided to end it all from the Overtoun Bridge?

More info: Overtoun Bridge at Wikipedia.