IS Somerset a hotbed of extraterrestrial activity? Yes, at least according files of reported UFO sightings released by The National Archive this week. Overall, there were 19 reports of possible sightings of UFOs in Somerset between September 2008 and November 2009.

The files released are the tenth and final set from the Ministry of Defence's UFO desk, which closed down in 2009 despite the frequency of reports going up.

This increase has been linked to the craze of setting off Chinese lanterns in recent years.

Here are some of Somerset's more unusual sightings: 'An orange cigar-shaped object, 80ft long and 30ft tall with a bright rear light' was reported in Somerton on November 4, 2008.

'A metallic ball in the sky chased by a fast jet then a helicopter' was spotted near Yeovil on October 23, 2009.

In Bath an object which looked like 'a low flying cloud with a light flashing on it' was seen on September 9, 2007.

Four silent orange/yellow objects moving from NW to SE with no navigation lights were sighted over Weston-Super-Mare on February 10, 2009.