Baffled villagers have been left wondering why a new kissing gate has been erected in the middle of a field.
People walking in the field in Whitley, near Melksham in Wiltshire, can wander around the gate without the need to walk through it. Villagers complained about it to recently re-elected independent councillor Terry Chivers.
He said two council workmen arrived last week to install the gate and nobody could understand what it was for.
"Many local residents asked me why the council have been wasting money on a gate in the middle of a field," he said. "I'm told two men just turned up and installed the gate with another one watching. They have made a great job of it, but none of us can work out why it has been placed in the middle of the field."
The mystery was solved by a spokesman for Wiltshire Council, who explained that the gate was merely a little early – and not randomly stuck in the middle of a field.
Half the field is to be turned into a cricket pitch and the gate was installed so the people fencing off the field would know where to put the line.
"Because there's a public footpath going through the field, a gate has been put in so the cricket club know where the fence has to go. The club are paying for the fence and gate, so it's not costing taxpayers anything," he added.
