UFO sightings on the rise

The apparent abduction by spaceship of a man's tent, car and dog was one of 135 reports of UFO sightings in Britain last year, according to details released by the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

Three pilots were among more than 100 – mainly anonymous – people who reported the sightings, which included a flying saucer in Staffordshire and a fast-moving triangular object in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Two of the pilots were flying over Alderney in the Channel Islands when they saw bright orange objects, they said, while the other saw a "balloon-like object" over the South-west.

The number of sightings rose from 2006, when 97 unidentified aircraft were reported. A number of callers insist they saw a "definite UFO".

One man in Cardiff said that spaceships flew near his house and took his car, tent and pet dog.

The MoD is trying to be more open with its archives and files on UFOs. The ministry admitted that unless the reportings indicate a threat to national security, they are not investigated further.

Nick Pope, a former MoD official who was responsible, between 1991 and 1994, for investigating UFO sightings, said: "I welcome the MoD's new openness on this subject.

"Whatever people believe about UFOs, the Government is releasing some of the most fascinating material in its files. Sceptics and believers alike should welcome this."