Confusion as more than a dozen mysterious crosses appear by side of Wakefield river

Around 13 of the makeshift crosses have now sprung up next to the River Calder in Eastmoor, each constructed from pieces of wood and held together with white string.

Rachael Sharp first spotted the crosses on Sunday, March 1 when out walking her dog, Cooper.

She said: "I go down there every day with my dog. The first set appeared on Sunday. When I came down on Monday there were some more and Tuesday another set had appeared.

"It's weird because they're tied together with debris that washed out of the river.

"Some people are saying it's a pet grave. When I saw the first one the mud looked disturbed and I thought it was a pet grave, which made sense.

"It's really strange, really, really weird. I hope someone knows what it is and we can find out."

Rachael, 25, passes the cross, which are located on the bank of the River Calder, close to Eastmoor Angling Club, every morning as she walks with her dog.

She believes they are being built in the evening or overnight, and noted that they appear to have been tied together with string which washed out of the river during recent heavy rain.

As more and more of the symbols began to appear, Rachel shared her discovery in a local Facebook group, where she asked for ideas on the purpose of the crosses.

Suggestions have included a connection to Lent, a memorial or a tribute to animals who were killed in the recent storms.

One commentator noted that the crosses bear a resemblance to those used in Stephen King's Pet Sematary, which was adapted into a major film last year.

But no definitive answer has been found.

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