Could aliens have visited Oldham?

Given there were 41 UFO sightings reported in the North West alone last year, more than the number of sightings in Northern Ireland and Scotland put together, quite possibly.

Extra-terrestrial researcher Ash Ellis, of UFO Identified - a website which has a database of sightings, told The Oldham Times why he thought there were more spotted in the area.

"My theory is that the North West and Yorkshire have been hotspots for a few decades, people are more open minded and are more likely to challenge something that they think is unusual," the 36-year-old said.

The Oldham Times: The North West recorded the most sightings in the UK last yearThe North West recorded the most sightings in the UK last year (Image: UFO Identified)

"There is also a lot of airports around here so maybe it's something to do with some people misidentifying planes.

"They do a lot of testing of military equipment in Cumbria too which could be one reason."

In total, there were 395 reported in the year up to January 31, 2024 - but due to an issue with one of the databases which 72 of those were not located.

While the North West leads the way in sightings, the south east are hot on our tail with 40 sightings, while there were 32 in Scotland, five in Northern Ireland and 19 in London alone.

The Oldham Times: The North West recorded the most sightings in the UK last yearThe North West recorded the most sightings in the UK last year (Image: UFO Identified)

Speaking about whether he believes aliens may have visited the country, Ash said: "We've got a report on the website dated April 22, 2021 where we investigated eight UFO sightings on the same day.

"Four of which were shaped like a kidney bean but it was very, very small - it looked like the same thing.

"There were four sightings across the country over the space of three hours - Hamilton, Grimsby, Rochdale and then London."

The Oldham Times: UFO Identified members at a recent meeting in SaleUFO Identified members at a recent meeting in Sale (Image: UFO Identified)

He added: "There's videos of each one, but they are one of the sightings that we haven't been able to explain."

UFO Identified, which boasts of a database that has recorded more than 1,000 sightings in three years, also has an affiliated group of "like-minded" people and have earmarked Tandle Hill Country Park, in Royton, for its next event.

Ash has welcomed Oldhamers to visit on Friday (March 15), members of the group will congregate at the car park for 7pm for a sky watch event in hope to spot unearthly objects.