First crop circle of the year appears overnight in Dorset wheat field sparking new interest in who or what has made it

• Intricate design is the first one of the year and has emerged in a field near Blandford Forum in Dorset
• The number of crop circles appearing in Britain is declining: 2012 produced 50 while 2013 produced just 15
• Some believe this is because of a recent crackdown by farmers as trespass and destruction of crops is illegal
• Sceptics believe crop circles are entirely man-made, while others believe they are the creation of aliens

By Harriet Hernando

Published: 08:46 EDT, 14 July 2014 | Updated: 11:36 EDT, 14 July 2014

The first crop circle of the year has appeared in a field near Blandford Forum in Dorset leaving locals stumped over who or what created it.

Covering an enormous stretch of wheat field, the 400ft pattern, which is made up of geometric lines and circles, emerged overnight.

While many believe crop circles are created by local pranksters, some think the mysterious shapes are evidence of aliens, including amateur pilot and crop circle enthusiast Matthew Williams, 43, who said: ‘Whoever, or whatever, created the shape must have been there all night - you have to really admire their handiwork.'

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Mysterious: The first crop circle of the year has appeared in a field near Blandford Forum in Dorset sparking interest in who or what has created it

Technical: Some believe the crop circle is the result of a skilled artist, while others believe the geometric points show the spot where a spaceship has landed

Separating the wheat from the chaff: July is the prime month for crop circles because it is when wheat is harvested. Wheat is the easiest crop to work with

Illegal: Farmers aren't a fan of crop circles because they destroy the crops. Matthew Williams was fined £100 by magistrates in 2000 after admitting causing damage

Some farmers mow the incredible formations out of their field as soon as they appear to deter recurrences

Mr Williams, from Avebury, Wiltshire, added: ‘Last summer we didn't get many circles, but this beauty certainly makes up for that.

‘The first circle of the season really does mark the start of great British summer.

‘I know farmers hate them, but you really do have to appreciate the amount of effort that went in to making a 400ft pattern in a field of crops.’

There is increasing rivalry between the circle makers to produce ever more complex, intricate patterns.

However Mr Williams is not a believer of the paranormal and has previously admitted to creating crop circles himself.

He is the only man in Britain convicted of making crop circles after admitting damaging a farmer’s crop in 2000 near Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Mr Williams, who was fined £100 by magistrates, was prosecuted after one of his crop circles was published on the internet.

He has since given up his hobby because he suffers from hayfever.

A crackdown by farmers meant that only 15 crop circles appeared in Wiltshire last year, compared to 50 in 2012.

Insiders claim farmers are fed up with crop circles and tourists looking to have an 'out of body experience' inside them. 

This crop circle, which appeared in a field in Alton Priors near Wiltshire in June 2004, was also created in a wheat field

A bee crop circle similarly appeared in wheat fields in Milk Hill, near Alton Barnes in Wiltshire in June 2004

Some have taken the drastic step of mowing the formations out of their fields as soon as they appear.

According to John Lundberg, who has also admitted to creating the designs, July is the best month for crop circles.

He told the BBC: ‘The season runs from April, when the first crop is oil seed rape. In June it's barley and by mid-July it's wheat. That's the best crop to work in, that's when the most spectacular circles appear. Because each stem is upright, you can get pin sharp clarity.’

Like farmers, not everyone appreciates the efforts that Mr Lundberg goes to.

He reported abuse from people who believe crop circles are in fact the work of aliens.

Mr Lundberg, who is part of a group called Circlemakers, said: ‘My art collective - myself, Rod Dickinson and Will Russell - get thousands of abusive e-mails and phone calls. We've had attacks on our property, and one of my team had bricks thrown at him. But at least this is not America - people don't carry guns here.

‘I don't regard myself as a hoaxer - I'm not interested in rug-pulling anybody. Yet the assumption is that if I make a crop circle, it must be because I want to undermine the beliefs of people who think they are not man-made.’