TWELVE UFO sightings have been reported to police in the past three years, new figures show.

Of the sightings from worried callers, two resulted in a crime being recorded and subsequently investigated by Lancashire Police as such.

Alerts included a flashing flying object, alien, flying object with laser, flying object with big bright lights and 40ft flying object making a buzz sound.

Other sightings included a red and white flying object, green flying object - landed with a bang and a flying object shining a light into people’s houses.

There were also reports of a bright flashing light in the sky, two diamond shaped floating objects, floating multi-coloured disco balls, and one of no description.

The figures, from a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Lancashire Telegraph, covered the years 2015 to 2017.

In East Lancashire, three calls came from Burnley, one from Nelson and the other from Accrington.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said quite often these calls ‘are not what they may seem’.

“So a call about a UFO sighting could be a suspicious light or suspicious movement that could mean any number of things and we would assess and deploy officers if required, or there could be a concern for the caller’s welfare,” said the spokesman.

The force said it is their ‘obligation’ to investigate crimes and that all crimes reported to the police are investigated to some degree.

The latest set of information comes after three close encounters were made public for the first time in 2009 after 4,000 pages of declassified Ministry of Defence documents were released.

A copper gold triangle moving at right angles caught the eye of a Colne resident on October 18, 1994, and the police were also alerted to a stationary bright flashing red light hovering above a garden in the town on February 23, 1996.

In Burnley, authorities were informed of 250 sightings of an object in the sky which was travelling at high speed towards Hebden Bridge on 22 November, 1995.