True patriots prepare to choke on your beef and oyster pie of olde England because, by the Lord Harry and Saint George, the Spanish flag today flies over the sacred Rock of Gibraltar:

This outrage against British sovereign territory is the work of one "alvarITO", aided and abetted by Google's 3D Warehouse utility.

The Spaniards' tenure of Gib will, mercifully, be short. As we speak, HMS Eurosceptic is preparing a retaliatory bombardment of the popular coastal resort of Torremolinos while three Vulcan bombers have just left Ascension Island on a mission to rain terrible airborne vengeance on the Googleplex. There are also unconfirmed reports that a crack team of SAS 3D modellers will this afternoon plant a gigantic Union Jack on the island of Perejil, claiming it for Her Imperial Majestyness Liz II, gawd bless yer ma'am. ®

Bootnote

A hearty "huzzah", an extra ration of grog and a signed photo of Lord Nelson for true patriot John Webster, who alerted us to this shameless act of piracy.

Related stories

• EU abolishes the acre (21 July 2008)

  https://www.theregister.com/2008/07/21/acre_abolished/

• Google gives UK mobile maps the green light (10 May 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/05/10/google_maps_uk/

• Google cedes Chilean village to Argentina (30 April 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/30/google_cedes_village/

• US deploys cloaked airliner (11 April 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/11/stealth_airliner/

• Cruise missile streaks across Google Earth (5 March 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/03/05/google_earth_cruise_missile/

• Google erases British bases in Iraq (17 January 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/01/17/google_erases_brit_bases/

• Google space weapon obliterates 50m insect (5 January 2007)

  https://www.theregister.com/2007/01/05/giant_insect_obliterated/

• China develops flying aircraft carrier (16 November 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/11/16/flying_aircraft_carrier/

• Stealth train uncloaks on Google Earth (9 November 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/11/09/stealth_train/

• In search of the Caspian Sea Monster (22 September 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/09/22/caspian_sea_monster/

• Chinese black helicopters circle Google Earth (19 July 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/07/19/huangyangtan_mystery/

• Flying car captured on Google Earth (23 January 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/01/23/flying_car/

• Google Earth menaced by WW2 bomber (9 January 2006)

  https://www.theregister.com/2006/01/09/google_lancaster/

• Google Earth: the black helicopters have landed (14 October 2005)

  https://www.theregister.com/2005/10/14/google_earth_competition_results/