With England's crop circle season in full bloom, authorities say they've seen an increase in the enigmatic formations so far this year and they're not too thrilled about it.
In a statement issued by police in the county of Wiltshire, they lament that while the creations may appear to be rather wondrous to onlookers, the formations can cause a considerable amount of financial damage to farmers due to lost crops.
Additionally, property owners are also forced to endure an onslaught of curious visitors coming to their farm to see the formation and subsequently damaging even more crops.
As such, officials are warning any aspiring crop circle makers that to do so in an unauthorized fashion is a criminal offense and that, if caught, they can be prosecuted for both trespassing and any damage they might cause.
Beyond the impact on farmers, authorities say that the emergence of a crop circle also poses a secondary chance for chicanery as ne'er-do-wells often appear an newly-formed formations claiming to be affiliated with the site and charging people who may wish to access the location.
Suggesting that perhaps police suspect that the crop circle community, itself, may be behind the formations, cops called on famers who spot a formation in their fields to take note of any researchers that visit the area and to report their information to authorities.
And should someone spot the creation of a crop circle in progress, they are encouraged to call the authorities immediately.
That's assuming, of course, that they see people in the field and not some nefarious ETs at work, since the cops would probably pass on responding to such a call.
Source: Wiltshire Times