Is the truth out there? Shropshire UFO sightings

Ever since the Ministry of Defence revealed it had opened its very own "X-Files" on Shrewsbury, Shropshire has earned a reputation as one of the UFO sighting capitals of the UK.

Most of the unexplained incidents appear to have taken place in a triangle bordered by the A5, A41 and A53.

It was in 2007 that the Ministry of Defence officially named Shrewsbury the top UK town for UFO sightings, and there is an active "UFO watch" group which meets monthly in the town.

Here are just a few of the unexplained incidents reported across the county over the past five years:

JANUARY 2007: Retired policeman Mike Lindop was at in his home in Wellington, when he saw a strange tubular object in the sky, travelling at speed and issuing yellow and orange flames, heading towards Newport.

APRIL 2007: Phil Hoyle said he received calls from separate members of the public who saw large triangular shaped craft in the sky above Haughmond Hill, near Shrewsbury.

JULY 2007: A convoy of white lights was seen moving along a river bank at Montford Bridge and another encounter of four orange lights seen crossing the town's skyline, moving at a fast pace.

OCTOBER 2007: Mother Claire Jackson and her family were followed by mysterious lights. Photos she took revealed a number of spooky orbs around the lights, on the edge of Whitchurch.

JANUARY 2009: Mark Young, from Telford, reported six or seven red and green lights above Clive Barracks at Tern Hill, near Market Drayton. Some readers believe they were Chinese lanterns.

FEBRUARY 2009: Pensioner John Ward spotted five strange lights near Wrekin Retail Park in Telford. Trish Fryer, of St Georges, and George Cooper, of Knockin, also got in touch with similar reports.

FEBRUARY 2010: Three residents spoke of an orange ball of light in the sky. Telford woman Cherie Hussain captured on camera a light in the sky over Malinslee on Saturday night.

SEPTEMBER 2010: Joshua Lester-Rigg said he witnessed "a huge fireball" crossing the sky and plummeting down to earth in Stirchley, Telford. "I don't know if what I saw was a UFO or a meteorite," he said.

MAY 2011: A video of strange orange lights in the skies above Shropshire and Mid Wales became a hot topic on the internet after it was posted on YouTube.

• What's your view on the UFO debate? Is there always an innocent explanation, or is there really something out there. Email starfeatures@shropshirestar.co.uk with your views.