Rhys Phillips

NUMEROUS sightings of unusual flashing lights in the night sky were reported over Basingstoke last Thursday.

Postman Ron Brooker, 57, of Timor Road, Popley, saw the lights after leaving a quiz night with five friends at the Recreation Hall, in Old Basing.

He said: “It was after dark around 10.30 pm when we saw a dull white light flickering up in the sky and moving slowly right to left, and then left to right. It was up there for about 10 minutes and could still be seen when we arrived at our home in Popley.”

Two friends in the Brighton Hill area were in a back garden in Porter Road, when Kayley Parker’s dog, Zena, started barking, alerting them to the strange lights which were moving slowly forwards and backwards in the skies over Down Grange.

Amy Waissen, 20, of Beechwood Close, Hatch Warren, was at friend Kayley’s house, in Port Road, and said: “I don’t usually believe in UFOs but we definitely saw something up in the sky just after 10 pm. The lights were green and moving slowly backwards and forwards for 10 minutes.”

A student from Yateley, Sophie Tottman, 22, saw a cigar-shaped light in cloudy skies over Fleet. She said: “I was driving in Fleet with a friend when we saw a long pale yellow light just above the trees near Fleet bends. It was moving left to right slowly for about 10 minutes just after 10 pm.”

A further sighting was made by a number of people examining the night sky in the Tadley Way area, and comments were also posted on Twitter regarding the night’s events.

A Hampshire Police spokesman said the force did not receive any significant calls, but Flight Lieutenant Katie Sheppeck, at RAF Odiham, said:

“We did have a few Chinooks on routine manoeuvres around 10 pm, and the seven-mile westerly approach to our airfield does pass through parts of Basingstoke such as Brighton Hill, Hatch Warren and Kempshott."