A major York attraction has marked the 25th anniversary of a fictional character with a giant tribute.

York Maze, in Elvington Lane, is celebrating 25 years of The Gruffalo.

Yorkshire farmer Tom Pearcy cut more than 5km of pathways into his 15-acre field containing over a million maize plants to create the biggest image of The Gruffalo ever made, marking 25 years since the story book was first published.

Covering an area the size of eight Wembley football pitches York Maze is believed to be the biggest maze in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

When viewed from the air the York Maze design shows an image of The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s child, mouse and the other animals from the story.

Farmer Tom Pearcy cut over 5kms of pathways to create the maze (Image: Jonathan Pow/jp@jonathanpow.com)

At more than 150 metres tall,  The Gruffalo in the Maze is believed to be the biggest Gruffalo image ever drawn.

Tom said: "The Gruffalo appeals to all ages and has become a much-loved classic bedtime storybook. I read it to my children when they were younger and still love it today.

"The image of The Gruffalo and the other characters from the story are ideal for creating a maze design."

York Maze takes up a different theme each year, with last year's theme being Tutankhamun, and the year prior being a giant LEGO mini-figure. 

York Maze Gruffalo themed maze was unveiled for 25th anniversary of the book (Image: Jonathan Pow/jp@jonathanpow.com)

Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, added: "When I first drew The Gruffalo 25 years ago, little did I realise how popular he would go on to become.

"It is amazing to see him and the other characters featured in a giant maize maze for the first time."

The Gruffalo 25th Anniversary Maize Maze is open for visitors to explore from Saturday, July 13, to Monday, September 2, when the crop will then be harvested. For details of opening times visit www.yorkmaze.co.uk.

The attraction is open daily from 10.30am until 6.30pm, with last entry being at 3pm.