Mysterious lights spotted hovering in sky over Merseyside

Mysterious lights were seen hovering in the sky over New Brighton tonight. Many took to social media to question what the lights could be.

One confused user took to Facebook, asking: "What's going on in New Brighton? Rays of light in the sky coming from there?" Another user speculated the lights could be coming from a police helicopter. A third even thought the mysterious lights could be alien activity, writing: "UFOs". Mike Harding captured the strange lights in a video as he walked home from the pub on Thursday.

Mike told the ECHO: "That video didn't really do it justice. I was on my way back from the pub when I saw it all happening.

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"I was talking to my friend on the phone when loads of lights like that were going back and forth really fast and then disappearing behind the clouds. My friend was quick to ask how much I'd had to drink when I was telling her I was seeing mad lights in the sky that could be UFOs."

Back in March, the ECHO published an interactive map showing UFO sightings over Merseyside. In its annual report, the research group UFO Identified documented 395 sightings in the UK in 2023 - a 20% drop from 497 sightings in 2022 and lower than in 2021 (413) and 2020 (484). That adds up to 1,789 sightings in four years.

Information was taken from social media, newspaper reports, and over 50 Freedom of Information requests, as well as from reports made directly to UFO spotter groups around the UK. However, there was a reasonable explanation for the mysterious spotlights in New Brighton on Thursday night.

Circus Extreme, which describes itself as "the world's most extreme circus" , is hosting a series of shows on The Dips in New Brighton, from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 15. According to the website, Circus Extreme is an "adrenaline-packed performance, filled with stunts and acts never seen before in the UK."