Alien theorist organising massive Nessie search event; Loch: 12,000 vow to visit monster's lair.

Byline: LOUISE GLEN

This September, Nessie is going to find it very difficult to hide - with more than 12,000 hunters claiming they will descend on Loch Ness in the hope of locating her once and for all.

The overnight search for the mythical monster is part of the tongue-incheek event "Storm Loch Ness - Nessie can't hide from us all" scheduled to take place on September 21.

The effort is being coordinated by American Brian Richards who lives in Riverside, California, and who is believed to be an alien conspiracy theorist.

More than 12,000 people have already signed up on Facebook to find Nessie, while 24,000 more have taken an interest in the event.

Lots of people signing up for the event say they are planning to make a night of it, with people laughingly demanding only Nessiestyled inflatables be used on the hunt for one of the world's most famous beasts.

One said: "Everyone bring buckets! We will bail the lake."

Another fan of the page asked: "Are you ready for the 3am dive into Loch Ness to catch Nessie unawares while she's sleeping?" Even sceptical locals have expressed some interest in the fun event, with one posting: "I can't wait to see how 24,000 cars will make it up the coastal road. Be worth going just to watch the traffic jam if nothing else. I'm in."

One film buff quoted the "We're gonna need a bigger boat" line from blockbuster movie Jaws, in which two men go on the hunt for a great white shark off the coast of America.

Organisers of the Nessie event are believed to have been inspired by a Storm Area 51 event in Nevada, USA, which gathered millions of followers in only a few hours.

College student, Matty Roberts organised the event - which was to have been held on September 20 - to meet aliens at the highly-classified remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base, where conspiracy theorists believe UFO spacecraft are kept.

After pressure from authorities, Mr Roberts cancelled the event but has since begun moves to organise a gathering later in the year.

Comment, Page 26

"Be worth going just to watch the traffic jam if nothing else"

CAPTION(S):

Scenic Loch Ness is to be the centre of attention