News

‘It was a big flying saucer’: Altrincham child’s UFO spotting among reports released by Ministry of Defence

By Matt Scrafton

A ‘big, stationary flying saucer’ spotted on the M56 in Altrincham features in more than 4,400 files of UFO sightings released today.

The 25 files released by the National Archives also include a plea from a young child, also from Altrincham, for answers on whether ‘living things’ exist outside Earth.

The 10th and final batch of the files contain a wide range of documents, drawings, letters and photos covering the final two years of the Ministry of Defence’s UFO desk before its closure in 2009.

On December 9, 2007, the MoD received a report of a sighting of an extra-terrestrial object from a woman who was driving on the M56 towards Warrington.

The report read: “At first sight, the object looked like a big, stationary, flying saucer. Then as the car drove past it from another angle, it looked like two perfectly formed triangles.

“They were very symmetrical. They both had what looked like halogen lights on them, which were white lights with a tinge of red and green in them and were very bright.

“The lights were shimmering.”

The woman also remarked that the objects were ‘definitely not planes’, while also adding that she informed the police of her sighting but they had little to say.

The MoD replied saying there had been no other sightings reported that day, and they were satisfied UK airspace had not been breached by unauthorised aircraft.

A letter was also sent to the MoD in January 2009 from a child from Altrincham along with a picture of a flying saucer with an alien waving.

The child wrote that his or her father had seen ‘little air crafts’ in the sky.

The letter read: “To Mr/Mrs. Please tell me if living things live outside our planet.

“I would like to now because me and my father have seen little air crafted in the sky. And my father have seen two little light dancing around each other.

“Please send me a letter telling me the answer.”

The MoD sent back a letter to the child along with ‘RAF goodies’, saying it was an interesting question and they remain open-minded on the subject.

They also added that they weren’t aware of any evidence that proves life exists in outer space.

Other highlights in the files include spotting’s of UFOs at some of the UK’s most famous landmarks, such as the Houses of Parliament and Stonehenge.

There was also a report sent to the UFO hotline in 2007, from a man in Cardiff who claimed a UFO had abducted his dog, car and tent while he was camping with friends.

Dr David Clarke, author of the book The UFO Files, said: ““The last pieces of the puzzle have finally been revealed with this insight into the last days of the UFO desk.

“These files spell out clearly why the MoD decided – after 60 years – it no longer needed to keep tabs on sightings, even those made by ‘credible’ people such as police officers and pilots.

“The last files from the UFO desk are now all in the public domain. People at home can read them and draw their own conclusions about whether ‘the truth’ is in these files or still out there.”

Picture courtesy of Stefan-X, with thanks.

For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.

Related Articles