DECLASSIFIED Government documents show there have been dozens of reported UFO sightings in Herefordshire since 1997.

The official documents, which are available to read on the UK Government’s official website, contain information on unidentified flying objects seen between 1997 to 2009.

They included reported sightings from across the country which were reported to the Ministry of Defence.

1997

The earliest recorded sighting in Shropshire was reported at Kettley Bank at around 2am on June 4, 1997.

Two separate reports were made describing a circular object with four or five lights around the perimeter travelling slowly to the north.

And there were plenty more sightings reporting in the county that year.

Two disc-shaped UFOs were reported at Haughmond at 6.48am on July 1, with a similar report made at Oakengates at 8.30am that morning stating that that two bright lights had been seen at 5,000 feet. They were stationary for a short time before disappearing.

The next sighting was made on July 19 at 9.30pm in Bayston Hill, with one white and bright airborne craft seen flying from east to west, while a saucer shaped object with a swirling spiral of white or grey lights which turned blue before returning to their original colour moved towards witnesses at Oswestry on October 3.

A triangular object estimated to be 40 feet long was seen at Leighton Village at 11.55pm on October 21, with the witness reporting that it had pulsating orange and green lights along the edges.

Two sightings were made on October 29, with two dull amber objects that resembled a triangular shape of light making fast, erratic movements over Newport at 6pm, and three white objects, one of which was bright, seen in a triangular formation over Dawley at 9pm. The lights were stationary and then split up and went in different directions.

The final sighting of the year was again made in Dawley, with an object with a light at either end spotted at 8.30pm. There was a flashing white light that was very bright, the witness said, and the object made constant turning movements and then erratic movements.

1998

Just one sighting was made the next year, with a circular gold object spotted over Shrewsbury at 8.35am on August 19, 1998.

1999

There were six sightings in 1999, with a white light with shimmering green and red lights reported over Shrewsbury at 12.30am on January 22, a silent triangle of lights seen travelling from north to south at speed at Frankwell at 12.50am on March 20, and a large circular object with the bottom missing seen by a pilot near Wem on April 10.

On July 3, a white and very bright circular object no larger than a tennis ball was seen travelling very slowly at Hemford at 10.10pm, while a brilliant ball of light was seen climbing to a great height very quickly before disappearing at Longden at 9.25pm on September 22, and a craft with a bright white light was seen positioning once before moving out of sight at Market Drayton at 8.12am on November 20.

ALSO READ:

2000

Two UFOs were spotted in 2000, with the first, a grey cigar-shaped object with two brightly lit windows seen travelling from east to west at 7.20am on January 1 on the county border near Tenbury Wells, and a saucer-shaped craft with protrusions on the outside and five dark circles in the middle seen hovering and spinning over Shrewsbury at 1.40pm on February 10.

2001

The first sighting of 2001 was reported at Baschurch, with a rapidly moving, multi-coloured, and brightly fluctuating and glowing star-sized object with a black hole in the centre seen at 10.10pm on February 13, while on February 16, one object with red, yellow, and green lights was seen flying towards Shrewsbury from Bishops Castle at 9pm, and two white and constant lights were seen heading east at Ruskington at 6.20pm.

Another sighting was made in February that year, with a white circular object with a ring around it seen moving 10 miles in about two seconds before heading east at noon on February 28, while a six to eight feet long mushroom or lampshade shaped white object with a very bright base was seen moving very quickly at Market Drayton at 4.45am on September 16.

2002

An object shaped like the Mitsubishi car logo was seen at Telford at 3am on January 28, 2002, while white lights were reported at Rock at 9.11am on February 14.

2003

Just one report was made in 2003, with a strange bright orange or red light seen in the sky over Wem at 2.45 on November 25.

2004

In 2004, lights were seen flying in formation at Billingsley at 6.15pm on January 28.

2005

Three reports of what appears to have been the same incident were reported on January 19, 2005, with lights seen in the sky at three unspecified Shropshire locations between 6.35pm and 6.45pm, while a fast-moving ball-shaped object with a tail was seen at Chivnal on February 21, and a huge, triangular craft with red lights to the stern hovered over the southern suburbs of Shrewsbury at 12.45am on April 11.

2006

In 2006, there were three Shropshire sightings, with the first, a light travelling rapidly due south-west seen at Shrewsbury at 6am on January 30, while two extremely bright lights were seen elsewhere in Shropshire at 8.50pm on August 21, and three sphere-shaped bright yellow or white lights seen at 8.30pm at Newport on November 25.

2007

Another three sightings were reported in 2007, with a silent convoy of white lights seen moving along the river bank at the Mountford Bridge, Shrewsbury, at 11.15pm on July 7, a series of ligjts in a circle with an inner circle moving clockwise then anti-clockwise in the sky at Shrewsbury at 9.50pm on November 12, and four orange lights seen crossing the sky, followed by three more lights moving at speed at Shrewsbury reported on September 24.

2008

The first half of 2008 was quiet on the UFO front, with no sightings reported until June 7, when an undefined UFO was seen at Westbury at 11pm and thirteen craft were seen zig-zagging in the sky at Tern Hill Barracks at 11pm.

A further undefined UFO was reported at Shrewsbury on July 4, while a really bright, burning orange light was seen travelling at the speed of a helicopter at Wellington at 10.15pm on July 24, and another undefined UFO was seen at Telford on July 25.

Two further sightings were reported that year, with an orange light followed by another two and then eight in formation moving silently at the speed of a helicopter seen in the Bedstone area on November 4, and a 15 foot long and 10 foot wide triangular metallic grey shape with a glowing orange base end seen at Shrewsbury at 5.10pm on November 25.

2009

The final year of released documentation shows that 2009 was a bumper year for UFO reports in Shropshire, with 10 official reports.

The first of the year was on February 9 at Romsley, with a spherical-shaped satellite-like bright light seen moving west to east very quickly. It was definitely not a satellite, helicopter or light aircraft, the report said.

Bright orange lights were seen going up and down on the horizon and heading east towards Frome or Wiltshire on February 10, while undefined UFOs were seen at Oswestry on April 19 and July 12.

Two yellow lights, one above the other, were observed for five minutes by a retired RAF serviceman before disappearing behind a cloud bank at Newport at 10.45pm on August 7, 22 silently moving lights were seen at 10.05pm on August 29 at Telford, and eight items which were not Chinese lanterns were seen at 6pm on November 6 at Ironbridge.

Two sightings were reported on November 8, one being two silent orange lights, which it was reported were not jet afterburners, not helicopters as they did not flash, and were the wrong colour for distress rockets, seen at Telford at 7.12pm, while the other was an orange light which was not a firework seen at Oswestry at 12.10am.

The final report was a bright light in three parts, one of which was red, which was seen hovering in the sky for 45 minutes before disappearing at Shrewsbury at 6.05pm on November 14.