MoD Opens Borough X-Files

Romford Recorder
2-28-06

     HAVERING'S "X-Files" have been released by the Ministry of Defence this month.

Information containing four years' worth of reported sightings of UFOs in the borough's night skies were made public on February 16 - they reveal two reports in Hornchurch and Romford last year, and a third sighting, in Hornchurch, back in 2002.

According to the log, released after a request under the Freedom of Information Act, the sighting on September 20, 2005, at 8.39pm, reads: "Four orange lights above the witnesses' house."

The log for September 05, 2005, at 9pm, simply says "A UFO."

But the earliest recorded local sighting in the four years dates back to March 7, 2002, in Hornchurch, and is painstakingly detailed: "Two semi-circular elliptical shapes dully illuminated yellow and white. There was a faint murmur."

The log also shows that nearby Loughton has had the most recorded UFO sightings, with six reported over the four years.

Last year's Havering sightings are most likely to be linked to those the Recorder reported in September - eight separate reports of lights in the sky over August and September were made to our newspaper from Elm Park, Hornchurch, Romford and Harold Hill residents.

But these were later found to most likely be floating lanterns released by a company in Stapleford Abbotts called Sky Lanterns.

Owner Barry Grant explained he imported the lanterns from Indonesia, where they were often released during festivals, and he had been experimenting with them over the summer.

However, the 2002 sighting remains unexplained. An Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The MOD, through the Royal Air Force, has to be satisfied that unidentified flying objects are not a threat to the UK within UK airspace.

"Beyond that, the MOD does not comment on the nuances of UFOs or purported sightings as, clearly, this would be quite an extensive commentary and a bad use of tax payers' money.

More . . .

See Also: MoD Probes UFO Sightings

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