WHILE druids, hippies and curious tourists who descended on Oxfordshire’s latest crop circle thought it was amazing, the owners of the farmland where it appeared, are less pleased.

Sally-Ann Spence and husband Bill, of Berrycroft Farm, in Ashbury, near the Uffington White Horse, said the latest arrival on their land – a giant jellyfish design – had already caused £600 worth of damage to the field of barley.

Mrs Spence said: “It’s a pain and a nuisance.

“The crop is a write-off.

“With more people coming to see it, the crop will be damaged even more.”

The 600ft long, 250ft wide phenomenon appeared at the 1,400-acre farm, off the B4507 from Ashbury to Uffington, last Friday.

To compensate for the damage, Mr and Mrs Spence said they would be seeking cash donations from people who come to see the crop circle.

Mrs Spence, 36, said: “We had a butterfly crop circle about two years ago and people from Japan, Canada and Germany came to see it.

“The jellyfish is crisp and clear. It’s not the most extravagant design, but it is very funky – a bit like graffiti.

“I can see why people are captivated by it, but we don’t want it on our field.

“We have had druids and hippies with beads sitting in it and seeing in the dawn.”

The farmers have two children, George, eight, and Oliver, six.

Mr Spence, 39, said: “George is very canny.

“He said to me ‘how is it we have aliens here? I thought they only lived in New York?’ “So far we have had about 100 visitors, but they will continue to come throughout the summer.”

The jellyfish was brought to the Spence’s attention via the website cropcircles.com

Mrs Spence said: “It’s now crop circle season and I go on the website each year. It’s very weird. The aliens seem to be very conscious about making circles in public places, but this one can’t be seen from the ground. It is only visible from the air.”

Experts are claiming it to be the first of its kind in the world, and say the design also replicates the earth’s magnetic field. Its appearance has been reported worldwide.

Berrycroft Farm has had three big crop circles. The first was a double helix in 1994, followed by a butterfly in 2007, and now the jellyfish.

Paranormal investigators believe crop circles are created by UFOs, whirlwinds or unusual forms of lightning striking the earth. Sceptics, however, believe they are created by pranksters.

See more images at wccsg.com/LatestCircles/ May2009/ Wayland Smithy/tabid/872/ language/en-GB/ Default.aspx

See the earth’s magneto-sphere at utube.com/ watch?v=A49VML0_lEY