Statue of Liberty maze unveiled in Yorkshire

Composed of more than a million living maize plants and covering about 18 acres, is one of the biggest mazes ever constructed.

With a length of 1,300ft it dwarfs the real Statue of Liberty, which is just 111ft high.

Farmer Tom Pearcy said he wanted the design - built in fields just a few miles from the centre of York - to celebrate the connections between New York and the British city from which it took its name.

Mr Pearcy has been creating mazes every summer for the last five years on land just off the A64, near York.

His previous efforts included a Viking longship, the Flying Scotsman and Big Ben, but this is the first at a new site near the Yorkshire Air Museum.

"As a 'new' York Maze it seemed appropriate to base this year's design on New York," Mr Pearcey said.

"I also wanted to mark the links between York and New York.

"The Statue of Liberty is an instantly recognisable image and makes a great maze."

Mr Pearcy began building mazes as a diversification project following the foot and mouth crisis in 2001.

The mazes are open for just a few months in the summer, closing when the maize are plants harvested in September.

"We have invested over £1 million in York Maze's move to its new location and put in lots of new attractions," he said.

Stephen Briganti, president and chief executive of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, in New York City, said: "We are so pleased to see that the Statue of Liberty is being celebrated in such a unique way in York.

"Lady Liberty stands as a symbol for all the people in the world but it is especially gratifying to see her linking Old York with New York."

The maze opens to the public on Saturday.