Mr Webb, of Terrace Road, Newport, saw a silent glowing object fly across the sky on January 27 and now several Islanders [off south coast of England] have called or e-mailed the County Press with similar tales, some dating back to August.

Three workers at Calbourne Classics, Richard McFarlane, 27, Barry Holland, 49 and Paul Westmore, 35, saw what they thought was a UFO the same day as Mr Webb’s sighting.

Mr McFarlane said: “It was a yellow ball in the sky. It had a haze around it and it wasn’t moving at all. We watched it for ages.”

But Andy Linington thinks it might well have been an aircraft.

He was near Ryde Town Hall when he saw a yellow object moving west to east, just as Mr Webb had described.

He said: “It turned and started going towards London and it wasn’t until it was above me I saw navigation lights on its nose. I think it was an aircraft.”

Jane Johnson, of Shanklin, claimed she saw UFOs twice in different places a few weeks ago. She saw one at Compton Bay, then while with her parents, Rick and Patsy Mellor, between Carisbrooke and Chillerton.

She said: “Both times, there was no noise and it moved quite slowly. It looked like an orb.”

Neil Clark, of Downend, Arreton, also said he had seen UFOs on several occasions, including once during the Bestival. He said the craft was close enough to see it looked like a diamond.

Ivan and Margaret Howes, of Lake, saw an orange object circle over their heads while watching New Year’s Eve fireworks outside their home.

Bobbie and Jock Pratt with their two daughters, Louisa and Charlotte, saw an unusual object gliding across their conservatory in St Helens over Christmas.

“They looked like illuminated kites. There were three of them in a line, very neat and tidy,” said Mrs Pratt.

In August, Brian Humphryes, of Brighstone, said he and his wife saw a balloon-shaped object “lit up like a chandelier”.

Frank Web's original sighting reported in Jan 28 issue of IOW County Press
Outside his Newport home, a former RAF technician could not help but see a low-flying aeroplane — or was it?

Frank Webb, 69, of Terrace Road, watched as the brightly-lit craft moved from west to east across the clear night sky at around 8.20pm last night (Sunday).

But then he noticed the craft had no navigation lights and made no sound.

Mr Webb claims the craft was an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO).

“I would call it a UFO, but only because it was, to me, unidentified,” he said.

“I was in the RAF for 22 years as an engine technician, so I thought if I could hear it I could work out what it was. But there was no sound whatsoever. It was weird.”

Mr Webb said the craft, around the size of a medium-size aeroplane, was flying at between 400-500ft altitude and covered in yellow lights.

In case it was an aircraft in trouble, he contacted both the police and Southampton Airport.

Mr Webb’s wife Valerie also saw the craft.

“Valerie was with me at the time and all she can say about it is that it is weird. She came with me around the world because of my RAF career, so she knows a fair bit.

(Original headline: SPATE OF UFO SIGHTINGS OVER ISLAND )