Locals baffled by mystery metal pillars that appeared near Haye-on-Wye

A mystery steel monolith has appeared on a Welsh hill, leaving walkers baffled.

Locals in Hay-on-Wye spotted the 10-foot-tall block of steel, which is shaped like a giant Toblerone, on Hay Bluff near the Powys town at the weekend.It follows a string of similar sightings across the UK and the US in recent years. In 2020, multiple sightings were reported, mostly in isolated areas across Europe.

A sighting at Compton Beach on the Isle of Wight and the Merry Maidens stone circle in Cornwall attracted hundreds of people.

Some on social media even speculated that it was the work of aliens. But others believe it’s another elaborate piece of undercover artwork.

One of the monoliths even arrived in 2020 with the words “Not Banksy” scrawled over it. Richard Haynes, who took photographs of the latest sighting while running on Hay Bluff said: “I went off towards Hay Bluff towards where the trig point is and I looked over to my right. I thought it looked a bit bizarre and might be a scientific media research thing collecting rainwater.“But then realised it was way too tall and strange for that. Then I went up to it and it was about 10-foot-tall at least and triangular, definitely stainless steel. It was hollow and I imagine pretty light. Light enough for two people to carry it up and plant it in the ground.”

Richard said he runs the route often and had never seen the monolith before, while a friend was in the spot two weeks ago and said it wasn’t there at that point.

"I did notice on Google that it’s popped up fairly recently and from what I can gather it disappears after a couple of days,” Richard added.The sightings have drawn some criticism. While they have attracted attention on social media, some have said they are tacky, aren’t funny, and damage the environment.

Richard said “I don’t know about that, but it’s clear someone would have had to have dug a large hole to get it in the ground.”

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