A round-up of the best West Country April Fools' Day 2019 gags

A selection of April Fools' Day from across the West Country.

April Fools Day traditionally sees everyone trying to catch out friends and strangers with gags, pranks and silly stories designed to be almost as realistic as possible.

Traditionally, the pranks should only last until midday - and anyone trying to pull a stunt after 12pm is, themselves, the fool.

April Fools Day is marked in various countries across the world and is said to date from the changing of the calendar system, with many people having been caught out on April 1st.

Here is a roundup of the best (and worst) gags we’ve seen in the West Country today:

  • Giant inflatable slide part of 'Weston-super-Mud' plans

The waterslide addition to Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier. Credit: Somerset Live

First up is this effort from Somerset Live, who claimed a giant waterslide is going to be added to the end of Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier.

The website’s report said the slide would be the centrepiece of a new spa, specialising in natural mud therapies.

  • Bristol City’s blue away kit

The new-look blue away kit revealed by Bristol City. Credit: Bristol City

Bristol City sent their fans into temporary meltdown with their April Fool’s - a blue away strip for next season.

Blue is of course a taboo colour for City fans, given its association with Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City.

In an announcement, the club - who only last week revealed their (actual) new club badge - said the new away kit marked 110 years since they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United on April 24, 1909, at Crystal Palace in front of a crowd of 71,400.

Needless to say, Robins fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when the club later confirmed it was a hoax.

  • Kuzma Minin to be converted into luxury student flats

Luxury flats on board the Russian cargo ship Kuzma Minin. Credit: Cornwall Live

What about this tale from Cornwall Live, who reported the Russian cargo ship Kuzma Minin - which ran aground last year at Falmouth - is to be converted into luxury student accommodation.

The website said the 19,000-ton bulk carrier had been bought by a private consortium who wished to solve the shortage of student housing in Falmouth and Penryn.

The Kuzma Minin ran aground off Gyllyngvase beach during a storm on December 18 last year.

She had to be pulled off the beach by four tugs and was then condemned for serious safety breaches.

The ship was then seized by the Admiralty Court, part of the High Court, over unpaid debts and was put up for auction by the court in March.

  • New colour for Cornwall fire engines given green light

Green fire engines. Credit: Wadebridge Community Fire Station

It’s not just news outlets that like to play a little prank, either.

Wadebridge Community Fire Station, in Cornwall, got in on the act by sharing an image of a green-painted fire engine on their Twitter page.

Announcing they were “delighted” to have been chosen as the first station in the county to trial the new colour, the station said the green appliances were going to be rolled out across Cornwall in the coming weeks.

Followers on their page were quick to recognise the prank, however.

  • Red Arrow flies under Devon pier to advertise air show

A red arrow flies under a pier in Devon. Credit: Devon Live

This is the amazing moment a crack aerobatic pilot zoomed UNDER Paignton Pier to make a dramatic announcement about the 2019 Torbay Airshow.

That's according to Devon Live, who said the aircraft was just a few feet above the sand when it flew past at approximately 300mph.

Their report was accompanied by an expertly Photoshopped image by Torbay photographer Roger Yersin, which showed the low-level flypast in all its fabricated glory.