Mystery mushroom baffles Newbury motorists

WHO lives here?

Speculation is rife after a giant mushroom – complete with its own, neat picket fence – appeared overnight a few days ago on the Henwick roundabout between Newbury and Thatcham.

The mysterious fixture has caused online conjecture to run wild, with some claiming guerilla gardeners are responsible and others reckoning it’s a mysterious marketing ploy...but for what?

The mushroom depicted is a fly agaric, or amanita muscaria – the archetypal fairy toodstool.

The real fungus contains a poisonous cocktail of hallucinogens and delieriants but its spectacular colour means it is often depicted as a home for gnomes.

One person posted on social media: “I personally think this is brilliant; a little nice thing to talk about with so much negativity in the world.

“A little smile goes a long way.”