Mysterious circles of light, which appeared around a woman's home, took an even stranger twist after a reader of The Argus spotted a face in one of them.

In a case worthy of TV's The X Files, strange circles of light emerged around Lisa Stewart's home in Clarendon Road, Hove.

But when Judith Eighteen picked up a copy of The Argus to read how the perfect circles, with a pronounced X at the centre, had appeared in Lisa's home and garden, a chill ran down her spine as she spotted another eerie spectre.

Judith said: "As soon as I picked up the paper, this face jumped out at me.

"It fits exactly into one of those circles.

"You can clearly see a head, with dark hair and a pudding-basin haircut, on the fence.

"I was amazed. It doesn't show up on the back of the page and you can't see it if you hold it up to the light.

"I checked through the paper to see if there was a similar head that could have somehow rubbed off on to this page but there wasn't."

Judith, 31, of Hamilton Close, Mile Oak, contacted Lisa to tell her of her strange find.

Lisa believes the face could be either that of her daughter's guardian angel or the spiritual teacher Lord Maitreya.

Judith said: "We get The Argus delivered so I don't think anyone else had tampered with the paper.

"I checked with my neighbours but this face only appears in my copy.

"Other people can see it when I point it out to them but it really jumped off the page at me.

I have no idea what it is but I have got an open mind."

Lisa has had numerous phone calls since The Argus highlighted the strange phenomenon.

She said: "People have told me they have seen similar lights, or balls of light, around Brighton and Hove.

"Another woman rang to say she could see a head and shoulders at one side of the photograph and a figure at the other.

Lisa, 36, a homeopath, healer and meditator, believes the face is most likely to be Lord Maitreya.

She said: "He promotes detachment, honesty of mind and sincerity of spirit and encourages people to change the world by changing themselves.

"I believe this is a way of sending messages to people who are looking for them."