In some scenes, the spirit is a poltergeist nuisance, spilling glasses and knocking down shelves; in others, it’s confoundingly trapped behind some sort of plasma screen.

Weighing between 60-100kg, according to the Woodland Trust, they are capable of knocking down fences, damaging fields and killing livestock.

Both groups have conservation charities and wildlife hospitals knocking down the door, desperate for access, but until they go through the "painful" approval process, their hands are largely tied.

The new ideas, he said, backed by scientific proof that they were effective, were “really knocking down a lot of the myths that have been passed down to generations of investigators.”

The Trojans came out scorching hot from the field, knocking down nine of their first 10 shots.