Cheshire's UFO sighting hotspots revealed as UK's 'X Files' are published for the first time

Claimed sightings of UFOs received by a now-defunct "UFO Desk" unit within the RAF have been published on the UK Government's website.

The RAF took the decision to wind up the unit in 2009, after concluding that in more than 50 years, no received report had ever disclosed any evidence of a potential threat.

Previously, records from the unit were given to the National Archives, often initially classified before being released after a specific number of years.

But the most recent reports received by the RAF have been placed online following a Freedom of Information Act request.

Members of the public reporting alleged UFO sightings are now directed to their local police force.

The final documented reports from 2009 record 626 sightings in the UK, including one sighting in Ellesmere Port and another in Chester.

In North Wales, four sightings were reported on Anglesey, one in Llandudno, two in Deeside, and two in Gwynedd.

The documents, from 1997-2009, include 13 reports from people in what is now the Cheshire West and Chester authority.

These include many descriptions of objects seen in the skies, the most common shape being an orb or sphere, although squares, tubes and discs have also been described. Some are described as solitary objects while other people reported seeing clusters or one large object with smaller lights circling it.

The most common colours of the reported objects are orange, white and silver - but people also reported seeing black, red, green and blue objects.

In Wrexham, a new dimension was added in 1998 when a witness described a UFO as having a "nasty smell".

Most of the reports were from members of the public, but some were made by police officers, pilots and airport staff, and journalists.

By there very nature UFO sightings do not come with hard evidence and there has been a significant decline in reports since 2014, partly put down to the increasing sophistication of technology used to record incidents and governments around the globe declassifying information such as the UK Government has done here.

Most sightings could be misidentified aircraft, lanterns, satellites, or uncommon natural phenomena, and Gwynedd's mountains and Anglesey's unobstructed views across the sea might account for a higher number of sightings in the region.

But there will always be people out there who believe we are not alone and "The Truth is Out There".

Recorded sightings of unexplained objects in the sky 1997-2009:

Cheshire West

9 May, 2009, Northwich - "Four big lights in a line formation."

6 August, 2009, Chester - "Orb shape, glowing on underside only. Orange colour. Orange faded and object looked like a black shadow."

14 November, 2009, Ellesmere Port - "Seven to eight bright orange flame lights in the sky, not plane or helicopter, no noise and moved fast, then disappeared."

15 June, 2008, Waverton/Chester - "A formation of eighteen lights. They appeared like a 'flock of helicopters' with lights on. They gave off no sound, but there was a slight rattle."

01 December, 2008, Wettenhall/Winsford - "A crest shaped object moving to the South East at the rear of the witness' property."

January, 2008, Chester Cheshire - "It was an unusual sighting of an object."

25 January, 2003, Chester - "Twelve bright lights moving from side to side."

9 January, 2000, Cheshire (exact location not recorded) - "The object eclipsed the moon. The object was a ring shape."

16 April, 2000, Beeston - "A very bright light in the sky was pulsing and changing shape. Then the object, 'went out like a light, and disappeared'."

4 February, 1999, M56 towards Chester - "One, circular object, very dark with four permanent red lights and three to four pulsating lights."

30 March, 1998, Malpas - "The object was silent, and was changing from pale blue to green then yellow, and had one bright light. It moved erratically in the sky."

2 February, 1997, Chester - "Orange, round object that was very bright. Was high up and made a rapid downwards descent."

21 August, 1997, Blacon - "There was one large circular object, with two smaller ones beside it. The larger one kept moving from side to side."

Anglesey

13 April, 2009, Moelfre - "Looked like a Chinese lantern."

8 September, 2009, RAF Valley - "Two round balls were in the sky chasing each other."

19 September, 2009, Anglesey - "Object was similar to an egg shape and was amber in colour and appeared to be hovering over field's before disappearing. Five minutes later two objects appeared in same area, then disappeared and reappeared over the Meni Straits."

10 October, 2009, Beaumaris Anglesey - "Two triangular orange lights, about 10 seconds apart."

19 May, 2008, Rhydwyn/Caergybi - "A round, bright white object. It was moving from SW to NE, and moved slowly and quietly."

1 September, 2007, Silver Bay/Rhoscolyn - "The object looked like a brightly coloured aircraft. The object was moving quite fast."

7 February 2001, Amlwch - "One object, with a blue glow, which then turned green. It broke up and left smoke. It seemed very large."

26 October, 1999, Benllech - "A white, onion shaped object, which was glowing white, with sparks. Was moving rapidly in a straight line."

18 May, 1998 Llanfair PG - "One long shaped object, with six flashing lights. They were flashing from faded to very bright. They were moving from North to South."

5 December, 1997, Eight miles west of Isle of Anglesey - "A bright, circular red light. About 3mm in diameter, relative to cockpit windscreen. Was moving in a Westerly direction." (Reported by pilot)

Conwy

January, 2009, Llandudno: "A bright orange light."

26 December, 2008, Old Colwyn - "Bigger than a helicopter, 250 metres up, silent, with something like a bar coming off it. 30 seconds later flew off over the sea followed closely by a helicopter."

January, 2005, A5 North Wales - "Witness saw bright lights dancing in the sky, on the way to Llandudno."

16 November, 1998, Penrhyn Bay/Conwy - "There were several blue-ish, white-ish lights."

Denbighshire

28 September, 2000, Rhuddlan - "Big explosion with an intense white light." (Reported by police officer)

Flintshire

16 May, 2009, Deeside - "Seven bright orange lights in the sky. Silent. Travelling towards the Wirral."

29 September, 2009, Connah's Quay - "Bright orange light, 1cm deep, joined by a second light, no sound."

07 September, 2004, Holywell - "Two silvery objects, they were pulling apart and moving together and they left vapour trails as they were moving. "

29 December, 2000, Pantymwyn - "Object, roundish shape, silvery white. Was quite low down and enormously bright."

12 June, 1999, Flint - "Disc/star shape object with coloured lights, blue and green, spinning around it. Sphere of light high in the atmosphere."

12 July, 1999, Flint - "One star shaped object. Coloured lights around it - green, blue and red. Spinning."

18 October 1999, Shotton - "UFO with a light, was hovering. A second UFO appeared. Had a large bright, white light. Also seemed to have red and green fleck on it."

6 June, 1997, Gwernaffield - "A round, black object was travelling across the sky at speed. There appeared to be something draping from the bottom."

Gwynedd

28 April, 2009, Tywyn: "A big, bright orange light. It turned white and then disappeared very quickly. It made no noise."

12 August 2009, Morfa Nefyn, Pwllheli - "Bright light shone through the window. Saw three lights size of a basketball moving up/down and rotating on own axis. Seemed to loose power after 30 seconds and vanished."

6 June, 2008, Godrer Aran/Llanuwchllyn - "Two orange lights were seen. They were fast moving. One moved to the East to Bala and the other one climbed vertically."

2 November, Llanerchymedd - "One light, the size of a football moving slowly at about 2-3000ft."

7 February, 2001, Caernarfon - "It initially looked like a star. Looked like it was going to crash into the witness's house. Was a green colour, with red on the side."

5 January, 2001, Ogwen Valley - "Like a shooting star, but with a burning tail. About the size of a military aircraft. It looked like it was heading towards the ground."

11 February, 1999, Caernarfon - "Single aircraft/object, that had rotors. It had blue, red and white strobes."

15 July, 1999, Dwyfach - "A bright light."

5 October, 1999, Llanbedrog - "One object, larger than normal aircraft, tubular shape. Was bright green tinged with blue. Moved downwards leaving trail behind."

28 November, Pentraeth - "Giant dewdrop shaped object. Had a yellow centre and a green/blue haze around the outside. Too big to be a shooting star."

21 September, 1998, Waunfawr - "Spheres - colours on and off in sequences."

Wrexham

29 October 2008, Erbistock/Wrexham - "An unusual sighting."

30 March, 1998, Wrexham - "One large, square-ish, very bright object. Was blue-ish with lights around it. There was a humming sound and a nasty smell."

2 August, 1998, Wrexham - "One glowing outer ring, surrounding an oval structure with pulsating lights."

5 July, 1998, Wrexham - "A large, round object, as big as a house. It had a cluster of lights within it. It was pulsating left and right, as if on a pivot."