Following on from the recent ‘Sue x’ field carving mystery, we spotted letters almost as long as the Anfield pitch spelling ‘LFC’ spotted on Shropshire hillside – but who has done it?

Our Flying Unit captures aerial imagery of over 50,000 square kilometres of the country each season. From the Isles of Scilly to Shetland, the team will capture over 140,000 aerial images each year, using the 196-megapixel cameras on-board the planes. And sometimes their pictures reveal something strange on the landscape…

Such as earlier this week, when flying over Shropshire, Andrew Tyrrell, a Remote Sensing Surveyor and Air Camera Operator, noticed ‘LFC’ carved into the scrub on the north side of Titterstone Clee Hill (SO588787), and took a picture. Intrigued by who or why someone would do such a thing and the effort required in such a remote location, he sent the image back to head office for analysis.

Thanks to Danny Hyam, one of our CATs (Consultancy and Technical Services team), we can share further information.

Using the aerial image to measure the three letters they appear as between 85 and 95 metres long. However, because of the slope they are on, the letters may be closer to 100m in length, similar to the length of the pitch at Anfield.

The letters are on Open Access, common land and appear to have been made by a vehicle of some kind.

Can they only be seen from the sky?

No. Using line of sight technology, Danny has worked out that the letters can be seen as far away as the southern end of Brown Clee Hill, some 6km away. In fact, they can be viewed over a large distance spanning approximately 90° from where they are.

Danny says: “I think we can safely rule out aliens on this occasion. Perhaps there is someone living in this area who supports Everton and has a back garden or bedroom window with a view of the hill and has a Liverpool supporting friend with an extreme sense of humour? It is one of the most unusual ways of showing support for a team I’ve ever seen.”