Derek Jones could not believe his eyes when he saw a mystery object soaring above his Cotswolds home.

He claims the celestial body rocketed over his head in the early hours of yesterday [Dec 19].

Mr Jones, 72, runs the Alldays store in Sopwirth Road, Upper Rissington, near Bourton-on-the-Water.

He said: "I was just walking to the shop at about 6.30am when I saw it going right over the top of me.

"It was travelling very fast and went over from east to west. I've not seen anything like it before.

"It looked like a headlight in the sky, then it disappeared behind the cloud.

"It was not so fast that you couldn't see it. The whole thing was over in a couple of minutes but it's something I won't be forgetting in a hurry. It was quite amazing to see - a truly remarkable sight."

Eileen Denison, who lives in Upper Rissington and works with Mr Jones, also witnessed the phenomenon.

She said: "It looked like a comet because we could see what looked like a tail. It seemed to burn itself out.

"It was a fantastic sight - breathtaking. It will stick in my mind."

Rod Salisbury, spokesman for the Cotswold Astronomical Society, said the sighting could have been a number of things.

Mr Salisbury said: "There was nothing diaried for people to see that morning.

"It certainly wasn't a comet, because you don't see them moving.

"It could have been a bright satellite or possibly a meteor as it burned up. One of those is the most likely explanation.

"The least likely explanation is a UFO."

• Story originally published by:

Gloucestershire Citizen / England - Dec 20.02

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