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UFODIMENSIONS NEWS :. |
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UKs MoD TO INVESTIGATE MYSTERY LIGHTS OVER NE ENGLAND |
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filed Aug.09.06
(Original headline: British couple admit UFO prank )
A British couple owned up to being behind a stunt that convinced hundreds of people in northeast England that aliens were among them and ended with police and defence chiefs involved.
Paul McKinney, 28, and Emma Henfrey, 30, released floating lanterns into the night sky to celebrate a move into their new home in the coastal town of Seaham, last month.
Images of the orange and white glowing orbs later appeared in local newspaper the Sunderland Echo and led unidentified flying object spotters to contact police and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
After initially keeping quiet because of the fuss, McKinney told the newspaper Wednesday: "It was an awesome experience to watch these lanterns float up and away and we never thought for a second that people would think that they were aliens.
"I wasn't going to say anything because I thought it was quite funny, but then my cousin saw something in the Echo about the MoD investigating so I thought I better tell."
The lanterns -- made from a plastic bag, copper wire and a paraffin cube which glows as the fuel burns -- look like small hot air balloons and sell on the Internet for about 10 pounds (15 euros, 19 dollars) each.
The packaging warns they can soar up to 1,000 feet and can be mistaken for UFOs.
An MoD spokesman said they were "delighted" to have cleared up the mystery.
The government department routinely investigates UFO sightings, but only to establish whether British airspace has been "compromised" by unauthorised or hostile aircraft.
Declassified MoD files released in May this year revealed that none of the numerous "unidentified aerial phenomena" reported over Britain in the last 30 years was a flying saucer.
.:Story originally published by:.
KeepMedia - Aug 09.06
(Original headline: Ministry to investigate UFO light sightings )
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to probe UFO sightings over Sunderland and Seaham after mysterious lights appeared in the night sky.
Since the Echo reported the mysterious activity earlier this week we have been contacted by more than 20 readers who witnessed the lights.
They all reported seeing bright, orange-coloured orbs floating over East Durham residents and parts of Sunderland.
Now, after being contacted by someone who saw nine UFOs in the sky, the MoD is to investigate.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "We examine any UFO sighting reports to establish whether there is any evidence to suggest that UK airspace has been compromised by hostile or unauthorised air activity."
The probe is under way after Seaham couple Harry and Elizabeth McCall filmed the orbs flying over the town last Saturday night.
Mr McCall, 67, told the Echo: "They were silent, as if they were floating. There was no noise.
"It was unbelievaable and until someone convinces me otherwise, they were UFOs."
Since then Echo readers from Westlea, Eastlea, Northlea, Deneside, Dalton-le-Dale, and Hollycarrside, in Sunderland, have reported seeing the lights.
UFO Hunters, a national organisation which researches and compiles information about sightings internationally, has also appealed for witnesses to get in touch.
Its leader, Russ Kellett, wants any UFO spotters to file reports on its website, www.ufo-paranormal.co.uk, or call him on 01723 514700 so he can start his own investigation.
North East-based UFO expert Alfred Dodds receives an average of three reports a year of sightings in the region.
Mr Dodds, 68, who runs the Northumberland UFO Research Centre, has been interested in the subject since the age of 10 and has never heard of any local sightings like those made last weekend.
He said: "There have been similar sightings, but mainly abroad.
"The problem is you see is that we don't know what is being developed in technology and who is developing it.
"It's mainly America, which we have seen recently in the press.
"There are a lot of triangle sightings, with three lights and then a larger central light. This doesn't sound like that at all.
"There is usually an explanation for most things, but there is about five per cent that are unexplained."
lReports to the MOD can be sent to the Directorate of Air Staff – Freedom of Information, 5th Floor, Zone H, Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB.
A 24-hour answerphone, where people can leave a name and contact details, can also be reached at 020 7218 2140 or people can email das-ufo-office@mod.uk.
.:Story originally published by:.
Sunderland Echo / England - Aug 05.06
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