UFO expert in sightings plea

A Shropshire UFO expert today issued an appeal for anyone who has spotted strange sightings in the sky to contact him.

Phil Hoyle, who runs the UFO Investigation and Research unit, based in Shrewsbury, made the request following the latest sighting by Fredrick Kershaw, of Llansantffraid, as he travelled home from work.

Mr Kershaw was near Llanfechain when he saw the unusual sighting.

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Mr Hoyle said Mr Kershaw was travelling home on February 26 at 5.50pm and had just turned on to the B4393 when he saw the UFO in his car's side window.

"It moved from right to left across the front windscreen, suddenly stopped briefly and then moved out of sight very quickly, much too fast to be a conventional jet.

"He estimated the UFO was no more than 700ft in altitude.

"Fredrick described the UFO as a cigar shape with four red elliptical windows or lights along the side.

"About five seconds later he heard the roar of a jet plane or fighter plane behind him going in the same direction and he had the impression the jet was chasing the UFO.

"He is not a UFO believer as such. He was dumbfounded by it."

Mr Kershaw said: "About half a mile from the village this object with four bright red lights passed in front of the windscreen. I am a pretty level-headed person and if I thought it was a plane I would say, but planes don't have bright red windows."

He said the object also travelled too quick and too low to be a plane in that area.

Mr Hoyle added: "Many other sightings have been reported over the last few months all along the Welsh borders from Knighton, Newtown, Oswestry right up to Bala in North Wales."

It also follows a sighting filmed by 13-year-old Harriet Rogers, from Bridgnorth, who saw a bizarre light in the sky on February 21.

She said the light was much brighter compared to the stars and on the camcorder they could see it pulsing and changing colour.

Mr Hoyle is appealing for anyone who saw the same UFO as Mr Kershaw, or has any other sightings from the Shropshire/Welsh borders, to contact him at phil.hoyle@yahoo.co.uk or call (01734) 245574.

By Suzanne Roberts