It quoted from a hitherto confidential letter by an official acknowledging the ministry recorded accounts of people claiming to have seen alien life in Britain.

According to the letter, obtained under recent legislation on freedom of information, such reports are collected "solely to establish whether what was seen might have some defence significance."

While admitting that "only a handful of reports in recent years have warranted further investigation and none revealed an evidence of a threat," it went on say the ministry was "totally open-minded" about the hypothesis of alien life.

Two weeks ago an anonymous caller reported seeing "strange lights" above Kent, southeast England, while another claimed to have seen a flying saucer sailing above Stoke, central England.

The defence ministry said such calls were only a fraction of the thousands it has recorded.

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