WILTSHIRE looks set to become a crop-circle hotspot again this year.

In the past few days three of the mysterious circles have been pictured in fields around the ancient village of Avebury.

And two of them are believed to have been made during last weekend's Summer Solstice.

Francine Blake, co-ordinator of the Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group, said it is further proof that pranksters are not responsible.

"With the amount of activity around Avebury last weekend I am sure someone would have spotted them," she said.

"Tests have shown that it takes hours for people to make high quality circles and to get it right you need machinery, including cranes."

One of the circles at East Field in Alton Barnes is thought to have appeared on Sunday. Advertiser photographer Dave Evans pictured the other at West Kennett as he returned from the solstice celebrations early on Monday.

He said: "I took the picture from a vantage point close to the B4003.

"It consisted of an outer ring around three inner circles and it struck me as unusual because it was more ingrained in the soil than the crop."

The third appeared at a location known locally as Honey Street, close to Alton Barnes, on June 16.

"They are usual patterns, which is typical of crop circles," said Mrs Blake.

"Some summers we can get one circle a day and each one is different."

An average of 50 crop circles are recorded in Wiltshire every year with 1999 being the most prolific when 70 were recorded.

Kevin Shoesmith