A store owner in New Hampshire says he has video proof of the supernatural after CCTV caught this ghostly footage. Courtesy WMUR

THE only fairy we come in contact with is usually followed by the word cake. But one man believes he has seen the mythical winged creatures and has a photo as proof.

Either John Hyatt, a university professor from the UK, is terribly late to the April Fool’s party or he’s convinced he’s actually managed to photograph fairies.

The 53-year-old Director of Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD) was out taking photographs of his local landscape and when he enlarged his shots he noticed a cluster of tiny flying creatures.

Upon closer inspection the odd-looking objects seemed to have a human-shaped form.

Mr Hyatt told the Manchester Evening News that he insists his photos are genuine and haven’t been altered in any way. In fact, he’s not even calling them fairies, that is something other people have been saying after he posted his images to social media.

He said: “It was a bit of a shock when I blew them up, I did a double take.

“I went out afterwards and took pictures of flies and gnats and they just don’t look the same.

“People can decide for themselves what they are.

“The message to people is to approach them with an open mind.

“I don’t believe they are just smaller versions of us and go home and have a cup of tea at the end of the day.”

The photos, which are too fuzzy to truly make out any features, show the group of “fairies” “enjoying themselves and there was a little dance in the sunlight”, said Mr Hyatt.

Pictures of supposed sightings of fairies have popped up all over the internet for years but all have either been dismissed or unproven. This new set won’t change that. But it will make for some interesting debate. We dare not rubbish them as fake for fear of Tinkerbell’s wrath.

In the meantime Mr Hyatt will be displaying his sprites at a special exhibition in the UK.