The Long Man of Wilmington has become, ahem, the Longer Man.

Jokers have drawn a 20ft manhood on the famous chalk-etched figure on the steep slopes of Windover Hill on the Downs.

The knee-length appendage was discovered this morning when a 14-strong band of morris dancers performed their May Day dance.

The episode sparked a whodunnit riddle, with members of the Long Man Morris Men insisting it was not them.

Squire Norman Hopson said: "We first noticed it after our first dance but it had nothing to do with us.

"It has certainly raised a few laughs."

Drivers were doing double takes as they travelled past the Long Man on the busy A27 towards Brighton.

The origins of the Long Man, whose faceless outline stands 235ft-high clutching two staves, remain a mystery.

Rumours have abounded that the Long Man acts as a fertility aid, with stories about women falling pregnant after making love on him.