Isle of Wight monolith: Crowds to be monitored on beach

A beach where a mirrored monolith mysteriously appeared is being closely monitored to avoid a deluge of crowds, the National Trust has said.

The pillar, similar to ones in the US and Romania, was found on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.

The gleaming structure on Compton Beach has been attracting an influx of visitors since its discovery on Sunday.

The trust, which owns the site, said rangers would "ensure the beach remains safe and does not become overcrowded".

A spokesman for the charity said the beach would be monitored but it had no "immediate plans" to remove the monolith, which it said was put up without permission.

He added: "It seems secure on a wooden plinth and is made from mirrored sections of plastic or perspex material."

The reflective structure has sparked speculation on social media about who put it there and why. Most visitors to the pyramid-topped pillar have presumed it was left by an artist.

A metal monolith appeared briefly in the Utah desert late last month. It created wild speculation on social media and apparent copycats with two others found in southern California and Romania days later.

An anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist has taken credit for the monoliths in Utah and California - it posted an image of the Utah monolith on Instagram, with a 45,000 US dollar (£34,000) price tag.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for those in Romania and the Isle of Wight.

In 2001: A Space Odyssey - the 1968 film directed by Stanley Kubrick - imposing black monoliths created by an unseen alien species appear in the movie, based on the writings of novelist Arthur C Clarke.

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