DERBYSHIRE was a hotspot for unidentified flying object sightings in the 1990s, according to once-top-secret reports made available for the first time.

The Ministry of Defence has released thousands of pages of documents recording claimed UFO observations across the UK, including a dozen here.

One object may even have landed in a Derby park, according to the latest batch of so-called "X-Files".

The report from the city details information given by a woman who said she had seen something above the Alvaston Park area of the city at 3am on September 10, 1995.

It said: "It appeared to be stationary and she described it as cylindrical in shape. There appeared to be lights around the middle and behind it... spinning around.

"The lights were red, blue and green in colour. The object disappeared behind a building and looked as if it was landing in Alvaston Park."

In total, hundreds of detailed reports of claimed UFO sightings have been released by the MoD.

Omar Fowler, group leader of Derby's Phenomenon Research Association, which studies UFOs, believes the popularity of TV shows such as The X-Files in the 1990s encouraged reports.

A UFO captured on video in Derbyshire last month

Mr Fowler, of Sinfin, said: "Previously they seemed keen to keep reports under wraps.

"But the Ministry of Defence has had enough and decided to release them, because they offer no threat to the defence of the UK.

"A lot of people are reluctant to come forward and report what they have seen, for fear of ridicule.

"But shows like X-Files helped stimulate reports.

"We are still getting a fair amount of local activity."

In August 1994 a woman was watching TV in the front room of her home in Crich when she said she saw a bright light in the sky.

She went upstairs and it had disappeared. But two hours later, just before midnight, two lights appeared near the village war memorial.

"Eventually one shot across the village and behind a hill," the report on the claims says. "The other remained stationary until about midnight. There have been other sightings from people in the village."

Another UFO sighting was reported from Matlock in October 1994, with claims of a round object with a mysterious "pulsating white light" coming from it.

The hovering object went away, then reappeared five minutes later.

Another unidentified object spotted in South Normanton looked like a blue or green "star" falling to earth.

Two sightings in Ashbourne in 1993 were reported to the MoD – one where a mother and daughter were followed by a "strange silent craft" down Green Road.

In the north of Derbyshire there have been various reported incidents, including a large orange light moving horizontally across the night sky, with a cloud of smoke billowing out of it.

The light, seen in December 1994, disappeared behind Kinder Scout and was not seen again.

Police contacted Manchester airport, but no aircraft were in that area at the time.

Other strange craft have been reported near Castleton and in the Hope Valley, the latter one a "vivid green ball which hovered, then flew away in a dead straight line".

The Ministry of Defence has not released the names of the people who said they saw the unidentified flying objects.

Details were made available online this week by the National Archives.

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