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Publication Number: 1379
FOI Number: 18959
Disclosure:
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) places two duties on public authorities:
Unless exemptions apply, the first duty (at Section 1(1)(a)) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held.
The second duty (at Section 1(1)(b)) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.
However, where exemptions are relied upon (Section 17 of FOIA), there is a requirement to provide the applicant with an explanation either:
Information Request
For a special report, I was wondering if you would be able to provide us numbers of how many UFO sightings have been reported to the Essex police over a five-year period? Is there more information on what these were and where they were reported from? Please also give us dates if possible.
FOI Duty
First Duty – Essex Police does hold information relating to all your request.
Second Duty – See below
Fact – See below
Exemption – Not applicable
Essex Police can report the following information from previous FOI disclosures:
Caveat: The data is correct as at 02 August 2023
Note
- Results are gathered from the STORM incident recording system where the Final Call Type is ‘UFO’.
Year |
District |
Recorded Incident Comments |
2018 |
M25 |
INC HAPPENED ABOUT 4 MINS AGO INF SAW A GREEN FLOURESCENT LIGHT LIKE A COMET COMING FROM THE SKY, INF SAW 2 PLANES ABOVE IT AND A SMALLER PLANE |
2018 |
M25 |
INF SAYS MAY HAVE DASH CAM EVIDENCE |
2018 |
BASILDON |
INF STATES THAT THERE IS A BIG FADED BALL OF LIGHT GOING IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS ABOVE HIM. |
INF WAS WONDERING IF IT WAS ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFTS. |
||
IT GOES FAST , SLOWS DOWN AND THEN HOVERS. |
||
'IT IS ABOVE THE CLOUDS BUT IT ISNT' |
||
IT IS MAKING STRANGE MANOUEVERS |
||
THE INF IS WATCHING IT WITH FAMILY AND IT IS FASCINATING |
||
2019 |
BASILDON |
INFT HEARD A HGIH PITCH NOISE AT AROUND 00:00HRS |
INFT STATING THIS WAS ABOUT 300FT HIGH |
||
IT WAS THERE FOR ABOUT 12-14 MINUTES, INFT THEN WENT BACK INSIDE AND DID NOT SEE WHERE THE UFO HEADED ONCE IT LEFT |
||
2019 |
BASILDON |
WENT OUTSIDE OF BACKDOOR AND SAW A VERY LARGE OBJECT OF ABOUT THE SIZE OF 4 HELICOPTERS |
THE NOISE WAS A VERY HIGH PITCHED NOISE AND WAS STATIONARY IN THE SKY ABOVE NEIGHBOURS HOUSE. |
||
THERE WERE GREEN LIGHTS ON ONE SIZE AND RED LIGHTS ON THE OTHER SIDE. |
||
THE UFO WAS SQUARED SHAPED |
||
2019 |
BASILDON |
CALLER IS REPORTING THAT HAS SEEN A UFO. |
ALSO SAID IT LOOKED LIKE '2 DRONES ON FIRE'. |
||
HE COULD ONLY DESCRIBE IT AS 'REALLY FAST STREAMS OF LIGHT' SIMILAR TO A FLARE. |
||
HE STRUGGLED TO EXPLAIN IT AND SAID IT APPEARED TO BE 'OUT OF THIS WORLD'. |
||
WASNT SURE WHAT OFFICERS WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IF THEY ATTENED BUT HE WAS CONCERNED FOR THEIR SAFTEY. |
||
WAS QUITE CONCERNED THAT WE WOULD NOT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY |
||
2020 |
COLCHESTER |
INF HAS JUST SEEN THREE OBJECTS IN THE SKY |
INF STATES IS 100% SURE THEY WERE NOT AIRTCRAFT AND WERE TOO BIG TO BE DRONES |
||
INF STATES THAT IT IS NOT A HELICOPTER |
||
INF STATES THE LIGHTS WERE FAR TOO BRIGHT TO BE HELICOPTERS |
||
STATES THERE WAS NO NOISE FROM ANY OF THE THREE SO IS SURE THAT WHAT HE SAW WAS NOT A HELICOPTER OR PLANE |
||
THE FIRST ONE DESCRIBED AS BEING LIKE A FIRE BALL |
||
THEY WERE GOING TOO FAST FOR LANTERNS |
||
THEY WERE TRAVELLING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND SPEED |
||
2020 |
SAFFRON WALDEN |
ASKED THE CALLER IF ITS POSSIBLE IT WAS SOME KIND OF AIRCRAFT OR A DRONE, CALLER SAID DEFINATELY NOT |
CALLER ALSO ADDED ISNT SEEING THINGS |
||
CALLER STATES THEY WERE DRIVING ALONG AND SAW A FLAMING BALL GOING THROUGH THE SKY |
||
IT WAS QUITE LOW AND APPROX THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL WITH FLAMES COMING OUT THE BACK OF IT |
||
THE OBJECT WAS FLYING IN THE DIRECTION OF RADWINTER - DIDNT SEE / HEAR IT HIT THE GROUND OR LAND |
||
2020 |
ONGAR |
INFT STATES THAT HAS JUST SEEN AROUND 30/40 LIGHTS IN CONVOY FLYING ACROSS THE SKY, |
INFT STATES THAT THERE WAS ABOUT 10 TO START WITH IN AN EXACT LINE TOGETHER AND THEN ANOTHER GROUP OF 10-12 THEN ANOTHER 10-20 COMING ALONG EVERY FEW MINS. |
||
INFT STATES THERE WERE NO PLANE FLYING LIGHTS AND WERE GOING AT THE SAME SPEED ON THE SAME TRACK. |
||
INFT STATES THEY WERE COMING FROM WEST TO EAST. |
||
2020 |
COLCHESTER |
30 BALLS OF LIGHT IN FORMATION |
5 OF THEM SAY THEY SAY THE LIGHT |
||
BALLS OF LIGHT |
||
CALLER AND HIS FAMILY REPORTS SEEING BALLS OF LIGHT SHOOT ACROSS THE SKY |
||
2020 |
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA |
SAID IT WENT AS SUCH A SPEED, AND AFTER FOLLOWING IT CLOSELY BEHIND WAS TWO AIRCRAFTS, INF COULDNT TELL WHICH AIRCRAFTS THEY WERE BUT SAW THE "RED WARNING LIGHTS" ON THEM . |
INF REPORTING SAW A BIG ORANGE LIGHT OF WHAT BELIEVED WAS MARS THE PLANET. |
||
INF STATED KNOWS WHAT THINGS GO ON IN THE WORLD BEHIND SCENES. AND BELIEVED THIS TO BE A STRANGE SIGHTING. |
||
2021 |
WALTHAM ABBEY |
1 CAN STILL SEE 1 OF THEM |
DID NOT MAKE ANY NOISE |
||
DIFFERENT COULOURED LIGHTS WHILE GOING UP AND NOW FLASHING GREEN AND BLUE LIKE A PLACE, BUT DEFINATELY NOT PLANES |
||
DOUBT IF THEY ARE DRONES. |
||
FLEW DOWN THE RIVER TOWARDS LONDON DIRECTION - SOUTH |
||
I STOPPED TO HAVE A BREAK AFTER 5 MILES, AND LOOKED ACROSS THE LAKE AND SAW THEM |
||
I WAS OUT MOUNTAIN BIKING AND THINK I SAW 5 UFO'S SPIRALLING IN CIRCLES |
||
MY FRIEND IS WITH ME AND SAW THEM TOO. |
||
ONE HAS NO REAPPEARED AND APPEARS TO BE GLOWING. |
||
2021 |
COLCHESTER |
THE INFT STATES THAT COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING, AND CHECKED "FLIGHT TRACKER" AND COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING. |
THE INFT STATES THAT DOESN'T KNOW IF THIS WAS MILITARY OR NOT, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE A LOT OF LIGHTS WHICH ISN'T USUAL. |
||
THE INFT STATES THAT HAS SEEN 27 LIGHTS IN THE SKY GOING OVER ROAD IN A STRAIGHT LINE, THEY WERE COVERING ABOUT 1 MILE, AND WERE HEADING NORTH EAST. THE INFT SAW THEM AT |
||
2200, THEY WERE PLAIN WHITE LIGHTS, NOT FLASHING. |
||
2021 |
ROCHFORD |
IN THE GARDEN WHICH BACKS ONTO A WOODS, THE CALLER LOOKED UP AND SAW A METAL STRUCTURE WHICH LOOKED LIKE A LONG OBLONG BIRD. WHEN THE CALLER GLANCED AT IT, IT DISAPPEARED, IT DIDN'T TRAVEL IN A DIRECTION, TO START WITH IT WAS VERY LOW LEVEL AND FLYING VERY FAST. THE CALLER STATES THAT IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A BIRD AS THEY LIVE IN A VILLAGE THIS TYPE OF BIRD WOULD TRAVEL IN GROUPS AND THEY WOULD NOT BE IN THE AREA THE CALLER WAS IN AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT |
2021 |
CHELMSFORD |
INF WAS LEAVING THE CHURCH AT AROUND 2115HRS TONIGHT AND AS BACK WAS TO THE CHURCH WAS FACING TOWARDS CHELMSFORD TOWN CENTRE WAS 5-6 LIGHTS INT HE SKY |
THE LIGHTS WERE DANCING AROUND AND 2 SHOT OFF AND THEN PARTED AND DISAPEARED |
||
THEY WERE LIKE BALLS IN THE AIR |
||
2022 |
STANSTED AIRPORT |
INC PLACED ON AS UFO AS 3 AIRCRAFT REPORTED AN OBJECT WAS IN THEIR VICINITY. |
INF FROM TOWER REPORTING THAT 2 PLANES HAVE REPORTED AN OBJECT AT ABOUT 500FT BELOW THEM AS THEY ARE COMING INTO LAND ON RUNWAY 22 |
||
THE CLOSEST BEING 20KM AWAY. |
||
APPROACH (2-3 MILES OUT) WHEN THEIR TCAS (TRAFFIC COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM) ALERTED THEM TO SOMETHING AT AROUND 500FT. NONE OF THE PILOTS COULD SEE ANYTHING WHEN THEY LOOKED |
||
2022 |
CLACTON-ON-SEA |
COULD POSSIBLY BE A DRONE BUT IS UNSURE |
INF HAS BEEN WATCHING IT FOR THE PAST 30 MINUTES |
||
INF IS REPORTING THAT THERE IS A RED FLASHING LIGHT IN THE SKY WHICH IS STATIONARY |
||
STATES IT IS MAKING FEEL UNEASY |
||
INF STATES THAT THERE IS A RED FLASHING LIGHT IN THE SKY ABOVE HOUSE BUT IT IS STAYING STATIONARY AND NOT MOVING |
||
2022 |
CHELMSFORD |
INFORMANT CALLING SIMILAR TO THE XREF THAT CAN SEE A SUSPICIOUS AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER THE CHELMSFORD AREA |
THE INFORMANT THEN WENT ON TO TALK ABOUT THE STRANGE FLY OVERS RECENTLY OF CHINNOCKS AND APACHE HELICOPTERS AROUND THE CHELMSFORD AREA |
||
THE LIGHTS ON THE AIRCRAFT ARE VERY SUSPICIOUS AND HE BELIEVES IT TO BE A UFO |
||
2022 |
CHELMSFORD |
IS SAYING IT MIGHT BE THE MILITARY |
STATES NOTHING ON THIS PLANET COULD DO THIS |
||
STATES THEY ARE FLYING OVER PROPERTY |
||
STATES THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 3/4 YEARS |
||
INF STATES IT IS NOT A PLANE AND WE DONT HAVE ANYTHING THAT TRAVELS AT SUCH SPEED ON PLANET EARTH |
||
INF STATES IT ISNT THE FIRST TIME HAS SEEN THIS |
||
INF STATES THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT LIGHTS OUTSIDE PROPERTY |
||
2022 |
HERTFORDSHIRE |
RYANAIR WAS CLIMBING OUT FROM STANSTED AIRPORT AND WAS A HEIGHT OF 4000FT AND JUST OVER THE ST ELIZABETH CENTRE |
THE PILOT SAW AN OBJECT WHICH DESCRIBES AS "BLACK" WHICH PASSED WITHIN 20 METRES OF THE AIRCRAFT |
||
THE PLANE WAS TRAVELLING AT 230MPH AND THE OBJECT WAS TRAVELLING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH |
||
THEY HAVE SAID THAT IT WAS POSSIBLY A DRONE BUT THE DRONE MONITORING EQUIPMENT AT THE AIRPORT HAS NOT PICKED IT UP. |
||
2022 |
ONGAR |
INF IS REPORTING AN AIRCRAFT ABOVE HOME WITH A LARGE LIGHT POINTING DOWN AT PROPERTY, HAS BEEN FLYING AROUND HOME FOR THE LAST HOUR, MOST LIKELY A HELICOPTER. INF |
2022 |
DUNMOW |
FROM WHERE WAS IT LOOOKED LIKE THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL |
THINKS IT MIGHT HAVE LANDED IN ONE OF THE FIELDS BEHIND THE CHURCH |
||
INF REPORTS THAT LAST NIGHT APPROX 2230HRS SAW A VERY BRIGHT LIGHT TRAVELLING THROUGH THE SKY THAT THOUGHT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A METEOR OR 'SOMETHING ELSE' |
||
INFT STATES THAT THE ITEM WAS WHITE AND WENT BEHIND THE TREES. SUPPOSED THAT IT LANDED BUT DOES NOT KNOW. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A METEOR, SIZE UNKNOWN. THEY DIMINISH IN SIZE |
||
2023 |
ESSEX POLICE AREA |
CALLER HAS SAID THAT WAS TRAVELLING BACK FROM LAKESIDE TO BASILDON AND WAS ON THE M25 WHEN SAW IT |
CALLER IS UNABLE TO DESCRIBE THE OBJECT - AS IT WAS DARK - HAS SAID IT WAS JUST HOOVERING THERE WITH JUST ONE SINGULAR BRIGHT LIGHT COMING OUT OF IT |
||
CALLER THEN SAW IT AGAIN ON WAY BACK FROM LAKESIDE - THEY WERE TAKING A VIDEO OF IT AND THEN IT VANSIHED IN FRONT OF THE INF EYES |
||
ORIGINALLY SAW IT ON WAY TO LAKESIDE AT 1830HRS AND WAS A BIT SHOCKED BY IT BUT COULDNT WORK OUT WHAT IT WAS |
||
INF HAS A VIDEO OF THE OBJECT IF OFFICERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT |
||
INF HAS SAID WAS INBETWEEN THE JUNCTIONS FOR THE A13 AND A127 WHEN HE SAW THIS OBJECT BUT CANT SAY WHAT JUNCTION HE WAS CLOSER TO |
||
INF IS REPORTING THAT ABOUT 15 MINS AGO HAS SEEN A STRANGE OBJECT IN THE SKU |
||
2023 |
CHELMSFORD |
INF REPORTING THAT THAT THERE IS A LIGHT IN THE SKY SWOOPING AROUND AND GOING FROM SIDE TO SIDE |
INF REPORTS ITS JUST ABOVE THE CLOUD LINE BUT IT HAS STOPPED NOW |
||
INF REPORTS ITS LIEK A WHITE GLOW AND IT IS HARD TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW HIGH IT IS |
||
INF REPORTS THE LIGHT HAS GONE OUT TOO |
||
I SAW IT ON MY WAY TO WORK. |
||
THIS HAPPENED AROUND 0030HRS AND NOW |
||
UFO SIGHTED, INF REPORTS CAN'T DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS, BUT ALL CAN SEE IS A LIGHT SWOOPING |
||
2023 |
BILLERICAY |
ABOUT HOUR THAT IT HAS BEEN THERE FOR. |
BRIGHT LIGHT HAS GONE NOW AND THE SKY CLEARED BUT THEN WAS JUST INFORMED THAT IT CAME BACK |
||
BRIGHT - QUITE BIG - WEST SKY - TOWARDS CHELMSFORD NEARLY CLOSE TO LONDON |
||
CALLER STATES THAT CAN SEE A BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE SKY |
||
COULD BE OVER STANSTEAD AIRPORT. |
||
LOOKS ELLIPTICAL IN SHAPE |
||
ODD AND LOOKS LIKE ALLIPTAGOL |
||
SEEMED VERY CONFUSED ABOUT IT AS HAS A GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF STARS AND PLANETS ECT. |
||
SOMETHING FROM IT HANGING DOWN |
||
THE BIG BRIGHT LIGHT IS NOT MOVING |
||
THE CALLER SEEMS TO THINK IT MIGHT BE DEBRIS FROM SPACE. |
||
THEY ALSO WAS LOOKING FROM THERE BINOCULARS AND STILL COULDN'T MAKE OUT WHAT IT WAS. |
||
2023 |
COLCHESTER |
THIS WAS A SOLID OVAL SHAPE AND WAS SILENT. THIS WAS NOT A DRONE OR MODEL AIRCRAFT DUE TO THE WAY IT WAS FLYING. I VIEWED THIS FROM INSIDE THE REAR OF MY HOME MY HOME AND THEN |
THIS OBJECT DID NOT LEAVE MY SIGHT UNTIL IT WAS TOO FAR IN THE DISTANCE AND OBSCURED BY ANOTHER PROPERTY. |
||
I HAVE NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT THIS OBJECT COULD BE. |
||
I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A SIGHTING OF AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT. THIS OCCURRED AROUND 11:05HRS THIS MORNING MON 5TH JUNE 2023. THE OBJECT APPEARED OVAL IN SHAPE AND WAS A METALLIC COLOUR WITH NO APPARENT MARKINGS OR LIGHTS. THERE WERE NO CONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT CHARACTERISTICS AT ALL. THE OBJECT WAS TRAVELLING EAST TO WEST JUST SOUTH OF MY ADDRESS IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND THE ALTITUDE WAS LEVEL AROUND A 100 FEET AT ALL TIMES AS A GUESS. THE OBJECT WAS MOVING QUICKLY ACROSS THE SKY VERY SMOOTHLY WITH NO DEVIATION IN HEIGHT OR DIRECTION OR WITHOUT ANY AFFECTS OF THE WEATHER IS THE ONLY WAY I COULD DESCRIBE IT. IT WAS MOVING TOO FAST FOR BIRD AND DEFINITELY WAS NOT A BALLOON THAT USUALLY GET AFFECTED BY THE WIND CAUSING THEM TO TURN OR TUMBLE. THIS WAS UNAFFECTED BY THE LIGHT BREEZE BLOWING. |
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.