People reported seeing up to ten orange lights behaving strangely on Thursday at around 8.30pm, hanging in the air and moving in formation at high speed in silence.

Stargazer Susan Sells, from Third Avenue, caught the phenomena on a video camera.

She said: "They were bright orange spheres and were literally going past the back door.

"It was not frightening – just unbelievable. I saw two go past the house and then there was a formation in the sky."

Susan managed to video some of the action and you can see an excerpt here.

Martin Anderson, secretary of South Lincolnshire Astronomical and Geophysical Society, said there was no rational explanation.

He said: "There were no satellites, the international space station was not visible and there were no meteor showers that early in the evening. I don't know of anything it could be."

Martin also said despite being a keen amateur scientist he kept an open mind.

He said: "I am a realist and a sceptic but I can't believe we are the only life forms in the universe. We are just a small, insignificant dot and the possibility of alternate life is considerable."

Other residents also saw the lights, which included a larger sphere which split apart and came back together.

Aircraft enthusiast Richard Shortland, from Edward Road, said: "One light came across the sky with no sound at all.

"It was followed by five lights, then four more and they seemed to touch each other in the sky on several occasions. It wasn't frightening, just transfixing."

Wg Cdr Field, from the Ministry of Defence, said there was a lot of activity in the skies, including Tornadoes, Typhoons and Harriers setting off for flights between 6pm and 7pm, but said he was not aware of anything untoward.

Wg Cdr Field said: "If an aircraft is facing towards you it appears stationary in the sky."

Aliens over Spalding? Watch the video evidence - click here and you decide.