With 19 sightings since 1961, the county has come sixth in a list of top 10 places to spot a UFO compiled by Nick Pope, the former head of a Government project looking at UFOs.

Among the most recent sightings, which are logged on website www.ufoinfo.com, is a report from an anonymous user of a bright sphere above Bury in November.

The UFO-spotter, who saw the object at 3am on November 6, wrote on the site: "My camcorder was in reach and I filmed the object. It made strange movements in the sky. No sound. The object seemed to be pulsating."

And, in April last year, police received reports of four black spheres flying in formation over Bury's Howard estate and Fornham St Martin.

Mr Pope, who compiled the list to mark a science fiction season on Virgin Media's TV On Demand service, said: "It's fantastic to see local folk taking an interest in UFO activity and keeping an eye on the sky.

"While we currently have no explanation why certain places in the UK are alien hot spots, as the research reveals, there are areas where mysterious objects are repeatedly witnessed."

A dedicated website has been set up by the firm for viewers to share their own unexplained experiences at www.virginmedia.com/ufo