The largest chalk human figure in western Europe had the wool pulled over its eyes for a day as part of an effort to highlight blindness.

A yellow blindfold was placed over the eyes of the Long Man of Wilmington on the Sussex Downs, near Polegate, to highlight a national campaign for World Sight Day.

The 230ft landmark Iron Age fertility figure had its eyes covered with the permission of the Sussex Archaelogical Society, which preserves it.

Simon Wakeling, from charity Sight Savers International, said: "Blindfolding this key landmark symbolises the fact that most people aren't aware of the scale of global blindness.

"Somebody in the world loses their sight every five seconds but the real tragedy is it's completely unnecessary."

Several other famous landmarks were also blindfolded across the country yesterday, including the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset and the White Horse in Wiltshire.