Hundreds of sheep have been painted with a bizarre 'smiley face' symbol in fields across the country. The strange image has sparked debate on social networking sites after it was first reported on 20 animals in a field in Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire. There have since been sightings in a further five fields across the UK, including Perthshire in Scotland, and 500 miles south in Exeter, Devon. Not impressed: Hundreds of sheep have been branded with the mysterious 'smiley face' symbol at sites up and down the country, including these unimpressed-looking sheep in Exeter Early sighting: These sheep in Melton Mowbray were among the first to be spotted. There are now more than 100 sheep believed to have been marked in this way
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Hundreds of sheep up and down the country branded with smiley face
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Faces seen in areas including Leicestershire, Devon and Perthshire
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One farmer said phenomenon was 'like crop circles-but on sheep'
Smile for the camera: The strange markings have been spotted on sheep hundreds of miles apart, including in @placeholder and Scotland