A mystery 10ft metal column has appeared on a Welsh hillside, leaving locals baffled. 

The silver monolith was spotted by walkers on Hay Bluff near the Powys town of Hay-on-Wye at the weekend.

It follows a spate of monoliths cropping up around the world in 2020 – from the Isle of Wight to Romania, California and the Utah desert.

Conspiracy theorists speculated aliens could be behind the structures – and some people on social media have turned to the same explanation for the structure in Wales.

No one has come forward to claim responsibility for the Welsh monolith, although an anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist took credit for the structures in America in 2020.

Richard Haynes, who spotted the mirrored object while running, told WalesOnline: “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 10ft 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.”

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He said it looked like someone had dug a large hole in the ground to support the column.

Mr Haynes said he ran the route regularly and that it was the first time he had seen the object.

The monolith is similar to one found on Compton Beach on the Isle of Wight four years ago, which was also described as being around 10ft tall and “really reflective”.

The monoliths bear a resemblance to the one that features in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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