Secret files on UFO sightings have been made available for the first time by the Ministry of Defence.

The first eight of 160 MoD UFO files have been opened at the National Archives, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act.

The documents, which can be downloaded from the National Archives website, cover the period from 1978 to 1987.

They include accounts of strange lights in the sky and unexplained objects being spotted by the public, armed forces and police officers.

*Dr David Clarke doubt the disclosure of these files will convince those who believe there is an official cover-up.

*But, now the X-files have been opened, what do they actually tell us? The answer is disappointing for those who believe the British government has been concealing evidence of visits by aliens.

*Her Majesty's government has never been approached by people from outer space.

*Even though the files don't prove there's life on other planets, they're really interesting because they show what sort of weird things people think they've seen.

Most of the sightings were made by ordinary people, including police officers, pilots and schoolchildren

      

Bright light.....Hovering then rapid acceleration

A bright comet like shape in the sky.....Moving steadily

Looked like space debris entering atmosphere

White bright object

Cigar shaped.....very bright object, blue and orange......Stood still then faded as if moving away

Flashing lights, green, red, white.....Clear sky, but stars visible

Flashing lights, brigther than stars

Dome shaped, white

Saucer shaped, white lights at front, blue lights at rear with a red and white light in each corner

No sound or smell

Bright star, exceptionally large reddish stationary.....Several times the magnitude of Venus

Cigar shaped, different coloured bright lights

Brightly coloured object hovering in sky

Object or very bright light, diamond shaped with points joined by a halo. Halo had a pinkish tinge

Bright white rocket or meteorite type light

Silver object flashing, very bright

Long balloon shaped

Stationary orange coloured circular object

A large white light, brighter than 3 car headlights in intensity

Disk with cone underneath revolving fast, grey in colour

Circular red and white bright lights

Oval shaped, very bright, white, yellow

Red flashing light, no noise

White light hanging in sky

Dr David Clarke says: "As I leafed through hundreds of official UFO report forms it became obvious the vast majority of sightings could easily be explained.

For example, staff and customers at a pub in Tunbridge Wells reported seeing a UFO with "red and green flashing lights" moving across the sky. When asked to describe the direction of movement their answer was "Gatwick".

Aircraft, bright stars and planets, satellites and space debris all stand out as the most common explanation for UFO reports.

A small number have been revealed as hoaxes or hallucinations.But a hard-core of 5-10% continues to defy explanation."

Meanwhile, public fascination for UFOs has continued to grow. In 1999, a survey for the Daily Mail found that 49% of the UK population believe that life exists on other planets and 29% believe that aliens had already visited Earth in flying saucers