A crop circle which has attracted hundreds of visitors was made by "clever pranksters", according to villagers.

People in Uffington have dismissed suggestions that an intricate series of rings found in a wheat field near the White Horse hill figure is the result of alien intelligence or earth energy.

The 170ft-long pattern appeared about three weeks ago and is the second crop circle found in Oxfordshire this year. Sylvia Cox, of Sower Hill Farm, Uffington, who keeps horses on a field next to the circle, condemned the creators, accusing them of damaging valuable wheat. The sceptical 55-year-old bed-and-breakfast manager also criticised "gullible" tourists who believed the patterns were made by natural forces or extra-terrestrials.

She said: "These circles could only be the clever work of several human beings with an artistic bent and a good sense of humour. I am afraid anybody taken in by the mystery is really rather sad.

They are silly people for taking it seriously.

The influx of circle-spotters has, however, had one unexpected spin-off. Jean McDermott, the landlady at the Fox and Hounds pub in Uffington, said the craze had led to a boom in trade.