UFOs in the daily Press:

Boulmer reports of UFO sightings were hushed up

THE X-Files came to RAF Boulmer as strange flying objects were spotted hovering over the North Sea by a fighter pilot at the base.

In a case that would intrigue TV's Mulder and Scully, bright objects were spotted by RAF staff in 1977. They changed shape as they watched. So sensitive was the sighting that all records of it were hidden from public gaze and have only just been released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). It was stored in the Ministry of Defence's "possible extra-terrestrial contact" department, known only by the code name SF4. It is one of many sightings listed by the Government where credible witnesses, such as military staff, policemen and airline pilots, have reported UFOs. The drama started in July 1977, when Flight Lieutenant AM Wood reported seeing the objects, saying the nearest was luminous, round and four to five times the size of a Whirlwind helicopter. The two possible UFOs were seen hovering at a height of around 5,000 feet and were three miles out to sea. His report is backed by those of Corporal Torrington and Sergeant Graham, who say the objects parted, with one going west and changing shape as it went. The objects, with one then looking body shaped, were watched by the three men for one hour and 40 minutes. A radar station at the base also picked up the objects in the same position before they vanished. Checks were made to RAF West Drayton to see if it had spotted them. Flt Lt Wood is described as “reliable and sober” in the report, which adds that radar staff at RAF Staxton Wold also picked up the strange objects. The RAF Boulmer report was deemed so sensitive that instead of being released to the public 25 years later as normal a further three-year ban was imposed. It is only because of the FOI Act, which came into force on January 1, that the case was reviewed and the details declassified. Other released reports show that fighters were scrambled in July 1976 when a British Airways pilot reported strange, white cigar-shaped objects over Portugal. Nearer to home Chief Supt Hobson, of Manchester Police, watched a bright light for two minutes and followed it along the A62 on July 3, 1976. The reports will add to UFO hunters' belief that governments have deliberately stayed silent on possible visits by space craft over the years.