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It looks like a scene from War of the Worlds with a giant robot ready to wreak havoc at Wales’ National Botanic Garden.

It is actually a spoof image of the Great Glasshouse at the Carmarthenshire attraction - often said to be reminiscent of a flying saucer.

The picture was created by a sci-fi fan and artist from Newcastle Emlyn, who was inspired by a winter’s morning photograph of the Great Glasshouse he spotted on the Garden’s Facebook page.

Related:Historic Regency landscape to be restored at National Botanic Garden of Wales

“A lot of people think the Great Glasshouse is out of this world – it is the biggest single-span glasshouse on the planet, after all,” said the Garden’s head of marking David Hardy.

“But artist Andy Francis has taken things a step further with his War of Worlds homage.”

Mr Hardy said the original photo was taken by the Garden’s Head of Conservation and Research Dr Natasha de Vere.

“The frosty, misty morning does make Lord Foster’s ‘dome’ pretty other-worldly. Dr de Vere is our head of science and I’m thinking of making this guy our head of science (Fiction).”

Related:10 Welsh secret gardens that you must visit this year

As the largest single-span structure of its type in the world, you can see the glasshouse from everywhere in the garden and it houses some spectacular floral sights.

Inside it is divided into the five Mediterranean climate regions - California, Western and South Australia, Central Chile, the Western Cape of South Africa and the Mediterranean basin (including The Canaries).

Inside its carefully designed landscape includes white sandstone cliffs, gravelled slopes, rocky terraces, stepped walkways and bridges, waterfalls and ponds.