HUNDREDS of people from all over Europe descended on the Cherhill white horse after a mysterious crop circle – featuring an alien smoking a pipe – appeared in a corn field below the monument.

The bizarre creation appeared in the early hours of Wednesday last week.

Since then, enthusiasts have travelled from as far away as the Netherlands, Austria, Scandinavia and Germany to see it.

Theo Wierdsma, a Dutch primary school manager, who also lectures in crop circles and phenomena research, travelled to England with his 21-year-old son Justin to look at the many crop circles in the West Country.

Mr Wierdsma, 55, said: “I have been coming over to England every summer for the past eight years to look at crop circles.

“We came here in Calne to look at one in 2006 as well.

“I don’t know if this one might be a hoax but I think from looking at the shape of it that it is a real one. I have thought they were a hoax before and was wrong so it is very interesting.”

Local small aircraft clubs have been assisting the tourists by taking them above the crop circle in planes and microlights to film and take photos of the phenomenon.

The farmer has also allowed them to go inside the circle to do tests and take pictures.

Mr Wierdsma said he will stay in Wiltshire for another week to study other crop circles.

He added: “Next spring we will see for sure if this was a hoax or not because, if it is real, there will be a ghost of it still in the crop.

“I have seen some amazing things in my time and this is one of them.

“I think there is a big magnetic field around it and we have sensed some radioactivity in the air.

“After eight years of doing this, I don’t believe it is people making these, it is alien activity.”