Dismay over Stonehenge vote loss

Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, was one of 21 finalists

Disappointment has followed the failure of Stonehenge to be voted one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.

Organisers of the contest said about 100 million people across the globe cast votes by phone and internet.

The winners included the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and Rio de Janeiro's statue of Christ.

Druid Terry Dobney, who is keeper of the stones at Avebury, said he was disappointed there had not been more support for the Wiltshire monument.

"It's a bit like the Eurovision song contest, there's been block voting around the world so I'm led to believe," he said.

"In South America, they voted for the Christ statue in Rio and they've got a million block vote in South America and it's the same with the Taj Mahal in India.

"They're places of intrigue, but we know who built them and why they were built, there's not a great wonderment attached to them as opposed to Stonehenge which has this great wonderment attached to it."