UK UFO sightings [April 2009] Updated regularly

I will try and keep this up to date, with all information from the UK.

Please check back from time to time, as this will be updated regularly…If you see something that i have missed, please contact me (thanks)…..

There has been an explosion of UK UFO activity this year, mainly due to the Sun (tabloid UK newspaper) who think they are the UFO EXPERTS, seeming to print anything remotely to do with UFOs (with no facts/sensationalism and mostly no TRUTH). Unfortunately, this now seems to be spreading to other National newspapers.

Are they eventually going to make UFOLOGY a complete joke?

So, many of the sightings reported are sensationalized, with usually alot of information missing.

Please keep this in mind as you view these postings from the local and national press.

I’m afraid many also fail to follow up on their initial leads, and many reports just remain forgotten.

Some incidents could be UFO balloons (please see:  https://dandare.wordpress.com/2007/05/19/ufo-balloons-what-are-they/ for more details, from a previous article). There are also many other IFOs ( Identified Flying Objects they could be as well).

However, as i have said before, i am not sure what value they are to any UFO research.

1st

2nd

ComputerWorld.com ” British UFO hacker’s supporters rally at US embassy in London “

“ At today’s rally, McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp, and six other demonstrators performed a rewritten version of “Chicago,” a protest song recorded nearly 40 years ago by Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame. Nash granted Sharp permission to modify the song’s lyrics to focus on her son’s legal plight as well as his autism ” (extract from article).

3rd

Bournemouth Echo ” I saw a UFO over Bournemouth and i’m not crazee“

“ DON’T accuse him of being all crazee now – but rocker Noddy Holder of Slade says he felt the noize when he had a close encounter with a UFO in Bournemouth.
The colourful star, most famous for the ubiquitous festive hit Merry Xmas Everybody, said he saw a circular flying saucer, emitting beams of light, flying over the sea while staying in the town ” (extract from article).

4th

This is Grimsby ” UFOs or a trick of the light? “

“ SATELLITES and space stations have both been offered as explanations for strange lights seen in the sky over North East Lincolnshire.
As reported, two people independently contacted the Grimsby Telegraph about the odd occurrences which they saw in the Laceby area ” (extract from article).

5th

6th

7th

Telegraph ” UFO photographed over London “

” The computer engineer was able to take one shot of the object whilst it was stationary for a few seconds. He said: “Then it moved rapidly up and above at incredible speed, a comparable speed to a fighter jet at full power, so fast that panning the camera in the direction was impossible ” ” (extract from article).

8th

BBC “ Dr Who link to UFO sighting rise ” ** (all links with 2 stars relate to same article)

Nick Pope mentions that the increase in UK sightings is partly to do with chinese lanterns becoming more popular in this country; true.

However, he then starts going way off track with comments like :

” Mr Pope, who continues his research into the phenomena of UFOs on a private basis, said he believed the revitalisation of the Doctor Who franchise had made people more open to seeing UFOs ” (extract from article).

He then states that it is being covered on Newsnight (bbc2 indepth show on the news) and the SUN (which he works at). First off, i do believe that chinese lanterns have had a large impact on UFO sightings, but Doctor Who has not….this is total rubbish.

But hang on there is more …. he mentions:

“ “One case that springs to mind is the recent incident at RAF St Athan when a police helicopter was apparently nearly hit by a UFO.
“Another near collision happened last year over Birmingham when the pilot had to take evasive action to avoid hitting a UFO.
“This is why their investigation is important” ” (extract from article).

I’m afraid again i have to question these sightings, that THE SUN took a particular interest in. Where are the facts, and the data for this……..They usually never seem to follow up with any more evidence, but just carry on saying its a definate UFO sighting…..or they have selective data of a sentational kind if they do follow up!

This should be retitled ” Media are the reason for UFO sightings rise”

Whitehaven News ” UFO over the recre ”

” As they were chatting, Trevor looked up and saw five orange orbs all moving in a perfect ‘W’ formulation.
“There was no explanation for it,’’ he said. “The lights were about 400-500ft in the sky, evenly spaced and there wasn’t any noise.’’ He said there wasn’t any wind and the lights were moving at speed, which could eliminate Chinese lanterns as an explanation ” (extract from article).

Shropshire Star ” Birthday boy colin scotches UFO tales ” + video.

“ He insisted the weird orange light reported by several people on March 10 had in fact been a Chinese sky lantern launched to celebrate his 60th birthday ” (extract from article).

Bolton News “ Lanterns shed light on UFO mystery ”

”  But Marjorie McCabe, who organised a 65th birthday party for her husband Terence at their Westhoughton home has shone light on the mystery.
She was planning to round off celebrations at the party with fireworks, but after searching the internet decided to mark the occasion with Chinese paper sky lanterns instead ” (extract from article).

9th

Luton Today ” Was there a UFO above Dunton “

”  One told the Chronicle: “It seemed to be a sphere containing glowing flame, orange or yellow like a sun.
“But it wasn’t a meteor or comet, it wasn’t travelling fast enough and had no tail ” (extract from article).

Chichester Observer ” Can anyone explain UFO over Chichester ”

”  “It was rotating on its own axis and just staying there. It was metallic silver in its appearance and looked like nothing I have ever seen.
“Everyone in the car saw it straight away and I am sure lots of other people would have seen it as well ” (extract from article).

10th

Evening Star 24 ” Man claims red orb in wood was UFO “

” For 20 years Leonard Gibney has remained silent about coming face to face with what he believes was a UFO in an Ipswich wood.
But today he has plucked up the courage to come forward following a string of unusual sightings reported in The Evening Star ” (extract from article).

Daily Star ” Guess who’s causing most UFO sightings ” **

” The MoD’s former UFO expert Nick Pope said: “Doctor Who and Torchwood are filmed in Cardiff, so everyone in the area has aliens on their mind.
“Doctor Who captures people’s imaginations and makes them wonder about alien life and look to the skies.
“Any strange light in the sky becomes a spaceship ” (extract from article).

Solihul News.net “ UFO mystery in Dickens Heath ”

“ STRANGE lights in the sky were spotted hovering above Dickens Heath on Saturday evening.
A group of friends, enjoying a supper party, spotted the mysterious spheres at 9.15pm. No less than four, yellow objects flew over the village before dissolving into thin air ” (extract from article).

11th

12th

your canterbury.co.uk  ” UFO sightings on the increase, says MOD “

” Information released by the Ministry of Defence shows there have been 56 recorded sightings of UFOs over the county in the last decade, with 10 last year alone.
Examples include a report of a huge disc-shaped object “approximately 20 times the size of an aeroplane” that was spotted flying above Rainham, and a bright orange upside-down light bulb shape hovering near Ashford ” (extract from article). Old news here.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus ” UFO sightings are no joke for Denise ”

”  Sky-watchers in Bradford, Bingley and Keighley have contacted the Telegraph & Argus with reports of up to five red or orange orbs hovering silently in the night sky before quickly disappearing.
Denise Wilson, 52, saw them circling above her home in Moorside, Daisy Hill, Bradford, when she took her dog for a night-time stroll ” (extract from article).

13th

14th

Aberdeen Evening Express ” New UFO sighting in Aberdeen “

” At the end of last year the Evening Express revealed how a spate of readers came forward after spotting suspected UFOs – ball of light moving strangely in the sky.

Now Aberdeen-based expert Ian Taylor, who has studied UFOs for more than 50 years, claims there has been another sighting in Aberdeen ” (extract from article).

15th

Lancashire Telegraph ” Valley’s amazing stories inspire Helmshore film-maker “

”  Chris Johnson-Standley’s latest project is based on the myths he encountered in Helmshore and the surrounding area during his school years.

These include everything from haunted submerged villages under Grane’s reservoirs, UFOs flying over and a First World War tank buried beneath a Haslingden park ” (extract from article).

Watford Observer ” Former government ‘UFO expert’ to speak in Garston ”

”  Nick Pope, former head of the government’s UFO research project, has leant his views on crop circles, alien abductions and other happenings to numerous television documentaries, books and lectures.
He will join four other speakers at the Into the Unknown event ” (extract from article).

16th

Computer world ” Pink Floyd frontman performs on CD to back British Hacker “

” David Gilmour singer and guitarist for the iconic, english rock band Pink Floyd, has already recorded a song for an upcoming CD that’s now being put together to support Gary McKinnon, 43, according to Janis Sharp, McKinnon’s mother ” (extract from article).

Hamilton Advertiser “ Teacher spots UFO in sky over Hamilton ”

“ Penny Martin (52), of Little Earnock, spotted an unusual object in the sky on Saturday night about 10.15pm.
Penny described an orange-yellow object floating motionless above the houses near her home.
She said: “It was shaped rather like a balloon and in the centre there was a flickering light rather like a candle effect. To begin with I thought it was just a balloon ” (extract from article).

17th

Ayrshire Post “ Alloway UFOs identified “

” “We were surprised at how high they flew and how far they drifted.
“We actually commented that anyone seeing them and not knowing what they were could be forgiven for thinking they were UFOs.”
Brig o’ Doon Hotel has confirmed that sky lanterns were released as part of a celebration at the hotel on the Saturday night when our readers spotted orange lights in the sky ” (extract from article).

Burnley Express ” UFO mystery over Pendle “

”  Luke Robinson was one of a group of eight who stayed in the Marsden Park area. He said: “At about 1- 46 a.m. I noticed a bright yellow light in the sky across the field, like the sun was rising but obviously it wasn’t, at that early hour, though it was as bright ” (extract from article).

18th

19th

Sunday Mercury.net ” Truth is out there… in our wacky parish “

” Recently released Ministry of Defence documents have rubbished many of the UFO sightings attributed to our parish in the late 70s and early 80s ” (extract from article).

News & Star ” Is this a UFO over Carlisle? ” + link to video.

” One said it moved in a straight line before suddenly changing direction. It was then spotted about five minutes later and did exactly the same before disappearing at speed ” (extract from short article).

20th

Sutton Guardian ” UFOs spotted over North Cheam “

”  Robert Rosamond, chairman of the British UFO Research Organisation, said photographic evidence needed to be examined to establish whether there was a misidentification.
At this stage, he said, the lights could be anything from a balloon to a “tangerine being thrown in the air” ” (extract from article).

Shropshire Star ” More strange lights spotted in the skies ”

”  One woman spotted what she called a “huge ball of white light” heading towards the ground in Broseley Wood yesterday at about 11pm.
And Louise Butcher saw a light about the size of “a cluster of stars” moving across the sky over Church Stretton at the beginning of April ” (extract from article).

The Shuttle ” Orange light in sky – more sightings ”

” We made an appeal for information last week after John Shellis, of Birmingham Road, Blakedown, said he saw a light that looked like “a large ball” moving “quite low in the sky” at about 12.30am on Sunday, April 12 ” (extract from article).

21st

Salford Star ” UFO spotted over Salford Precinct “

“ On Tuesday night a UFO was seen blazing over Salford Precinct at around 10pm.  Eye witness, Rachel, has described it as “a bright orange light, like a fire ball moving at a steady space. It was really weird” ” (extract from short article).

22nd

Louth Leader ” Did Eurofighter scare away aliens?“

” In the sky looking over towards the A16 we saw three very bright lamps in the very clear sky, they were in an equally spaced formation.
As we watched a Euro-fighter came from nowhere heading towards the lamps, and they just vanished into proverbial thin air ” (extract from short article).

Strathspey & Badenoch Herald ” Nethy man spots UFO ”

” He recalled: “I live on the western outskirts of Nethy Bridge and last Tuesday night, at about 9.45pm, I went out into the garden to the car.
“Immediately I noticed a brilliant light approaching, quite low from the east as if about to pass over the village. It was shimmering orange in colour with a deeper red glow in it also.
“It then stopped, I would guess at only about 300 feet and stayed motionless with no noise just over the edge of Abernethy Forest ” (extract from article).

23rd

24th

Isle Of Wight County Press Online “ Did you see these UFOs ? ”

” She said at 11.10pm on Saturday the police spotter plane, circling the south of the town, was involved in a low-altitude ‘near miss’ with three other craft ” (extract from article). However, the police suggest otherwise.

25th

26th

27th

Watford Observer “ UFO sighting in Kings Langley? ”

” He said: “I was with my girlfriend. We saw about 15 to 20 bright lights in the sky. They then started to disappear one by one. We don’t have a clue what they were” ” (extract from article).

28th

29th

Lancashire Evening Post ” Teenager takes video footage of UFO ”

”  29 April 2009

An 18-year-old has filmed on his mobile phone an odd-shaped oibject floating in the sky above Lancashire ” (extract from article).

Mid Sussex Times ” Two UFOs spotted in Haywards Heath ”

” TWO UFO sightings were reported in the Haywards Heath area at the weekend.
Witness Alison King said she spotted a circular object at 11.20pm on Sunday between the town and Cuckfield..[.]…On the previous evening at 10.25pm, Chris Turner reported seeing a disc-shaped object in nearby Lindfield ” (extracts from article).

Daventry Today ” UFO sighting in Welton? ” (very short article)

“ Karl Taylor, 15, of Churchill Road said he saw a black object floating above Welton on Saturday night (April 25) at around 9.45pm ” (extract from article).

30th

Chester Chronicle ” Orange UFO spotted above Chester Skies ”

” Canadian Marty Wilbur, 29, who lives in Hush House, next to The Chronicle office, was on his mobile to a friend back home when he noticed a pulsating orange light rising up in front of him to the east of the city at 9.02pm on Sunday.
Quick-thinking Marty filmed the mysterious orange glow as it tracked northwards then disappeared out of sight, possibly behind a cloud ” (extract from article).

Lochaber News ” Mystery lights spark UFO alert ”

” Mysterious white lights have been seen above the Fort William area at around the same time it emerged that glowing orange and yellow lights in the sky were reported around Inverness ” (extract from article).