School's rude awakening as pranksters' picture goes global AS end-of-school teenage pranks go, it's a whopper. So big, in fact, it can be seen from space!

Click here to take a look at the satellite shots of Bellemoor

When staff at a Southampton school looked up their site on the internet they spotted an embarrassing appendage.

Clearly visible from 300 miles above the planet was a 40ft-long drawing of part of a male anatomy. It had been burnt into the grass using weed killer as an end of term joke two years ago.

Teachers at Bellemoor Secondary School in Upper Shirley had re-seeded the lawn once and thought they had removed the phallic image.

But their relief turned to horror after the giant shape was captured on aerial and satellite images and could be seen on the Internet. Although the grass has now covered the graffiti, the satellite images have not yet been updated and can be viewed around the world..

One 14-year-old boy from the school, who asked not to be named, said: "It was hilarious when the school staff found it.

"They replanted the patch of grass but it took quite a while to grow back and there was nothing they could really do about it in the meantime.

"It was even funnier when people found out you could see it in aerial and satellite photos on the Internet.

"A link to one of the sites has been doing the rounds on e-mail and now nearly everyone in the area knows about it."

Chef Tom Bucknell, 26, also spotted the giant image while using the Microsoft website to locate a friend's house.

He said: "I use the website to get directions and download maps and I was scrolling across an aerial photo of the area when I spied something which looked rather strange.

"When I zoomed in, I had to do a double take, but there it was as plain as day.

Speaking on behalf of the school, Claire Port from Southampton City Council said: "Some Year 11 pupils used weed killer on the front lawn to draw a large penis.

"It was just one of those high jinks incidents. The school responded to this by replanting the area. They assumed that was the end of the matter.

"But unfortunately, owing to modern technology, it seems as if the drawing has come back to haunt them."

Click here to take a look at the satellite shots of Bellemoor