A FLEET of flying saucers was seen hovering in the sky above Ramsey, according to a secret report that has this week been declassified by the Ministry of Defence. The report was part of a group of documents listing details of 800 UFO sightings from across

A FLEET of flying saucers was seen hovering in the sky above Ramsey, according to a secret report that has this week been declassified by the Ministry of Defence.

The report was part of a group of documents listing details of 800 UFO sightings from across the country between 1981 and 1996.

Many of the sightings were filed in 1996, the year the film Independence Day was released and the television series the X-Files was attracting large audiences.

The 'Ramsey-files' were opened in July 1993 when a man called RAF Wyton claiming his father had seen a series of extra terrestrial ships.

The detailed MoD report states that the "operator took it to be a crank/hoax call and terminated the contact".

But the determined son then phoned RAF Brampton and the conversation was recorded and transcribed.

The father believes he saw bright objects in the sky and used "very-powerful binoculars" to watch the "main ship" from which "two things shot out of the side".

The man is said to have watched the objects hover in the sky over Ramsey and Benwick for an hour.

The caller said: "Through the naked eye it just looked like a saucer shape of light in the sky, but when you looked through the binoculars at it you could see all the detail of the ship."

He added: "[My father] is the sanest man you will ever know, honestly. You are not talking cranks here. We are business people, sane people."

The operator asked: "What colour were the lights?"

The son said: "You'll have to ask him. But he's all excited. I can't get over it, I know my father doesn't tell porkies."

The caller later described the object as a "saucer with lattice work" and said "he doesn't know where they landed, they came downwards. This is genuine."

Two similar sightings were also reported in the same area the following month, in August 1993.

Investigators believe the sightings could have been a large rescue helicopter, known as a Sikorsky HH-53.

A MoD investigation concluded: "Helicopter activity seems to be the most likely explanation. We asked RAF Alconbury whether or not they were operating helicopters in the Benwick area at the times concerned, but they have advised that they were not. Of course, it may well be that some other helicopter (such as a police helicopter) was involved."

INFORMATION: The UFO reports have been released in a joint project by the MoD and the National Archives to open up records to the public.

More recent UFO reports in Huntingdonshire include:

2008

nFebruary 11, 8.56pm: Huntingdon: A long, thick, red streak shot across the sky. There was a silver ball of light attached to the front of it. The ball then got bigger and burst.

2006

nNovember 2, 10.10pm: Huntingdon: Lights that were a really dull yellow. The lights looked like they were interacting with each other.

2005

nFebruary 11: Huntingdon: The witness just said that it was a UFO.

nJune 4, 12.30pm: St Neots: The object looked like a dim red light. It was zig-zagging across the sky in an easterly direction. Was faster than a plane.

nJune 8, 4.45pm: St Neots: The object looked like a rod. Through binoculars it appeared to be silver, but was grey to the naked eye. Was moving around.

2003

nFebruary 19, 6.30pm: Huntingdon: Like a shooting star falling to the ground.

1998

nNovember 15, 12.30pm: St Neots: Two shapes the size of a car, burning in appearance. They were spinning and silent.

nNovember 16, 5.50am: Somersham: White, bright light that could have been a comet. Was seen for 2-3 seconds.

nData taken from the MoD website in response to Freedom of Information requests.