Top 30 Alien Close Encounters In Britain

Top 30 Alien Close Encounters in Britain

Welcome to WatchMojoUK and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 30 alien close encounters in Britain.

For this list, we’re looking at UFO sightings and alien abductions that have happened throughout the UK over the years.

#30: Jessie Roestenberg’s UFO Encounter

In rural Staffordshire on October 21st, 1954, housewife Jessie Roestenberg and her children heard a loud crash. Outside their cottage, they saw a metallic, disc-shaped craft, resembling a “Mexican hat,” hovering close to the ground. This was a close encounter of the third kind. Roestenberg claimed to see two tall, golden-haired, human-like occupants inside the transparent dome. Though paralyzed by fear, she sensed a strange calm or compassion in their gaze. The craft then shot away at incredible speed. Shaken by the event, Roestenberg and her children hid until her husband returned.

#29: Multiple Sightings Incident

#28: Royal Sightings

Long before the age of modern UFO enthusiasts, Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria, allegedly had an unexplainable experience. His journal, dating around 1875, records an evening when he observed a series of strange lights moving across the sky. This account shows that humans have been witnessing such phenomena for years, especially considering that discussions about UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) were not common at the time.

Incredibly, years later, his grandson, King George V, would report a similar sighting while serving on a naval vessel.

#27: Bentilee UFO Landing

In the 1960s, the quiet Bentilee estate in Stoke-on-Trent became the center of a bizarre local mystery. Multiple witnesses—many of them children—reported seeing a shiny, disc-like object descend into a nearby field. The craft was said to hover silently before settling close to the ground, reflecting light off its smooth surface.

Some accounts go even further, describing small, human-like figures moving near the object, clad in close-fitting outfits and behaving in an oddly controlled manner. The encounter was brief. Within moments, the craft reportedly glowed white, rose and sped away, disappearing from view almost instantly.

No physical trace was found, and no official explanation stuck—leaving the Bentilee incident a perplexing one. Its legacy endures, however, as stage play was even put together covering the story.

#26: The Pentyrch Incident

In 2016, the quiet Welsh village of Pentyrch became the focus of one of the UK’s most debated modern UFO cases. On the night of February 26th, residents reported unusual military activity overhead, including low-flying aircraft and loud explosions.

One local witness claimed to have seen a large, pyramid-shaped craft moving silently through the sky, accompanied by smaller objects and pursued by military jets. According to her account, the craft emitted strange lights and hovered briefly before disappearing.

Officials later attributed the disturbance to a military training exercise, but skeptics question whether that explanation fully accounts for what was seen. The Pentyrch Incident remains a modern mystery—caught between eyewitness testimony and official denial.

#25: Over and Under The Sea

One of the most prolific UAP investigators, Paul Sinclair, has caught some incredible sights on camera over the years. Using cameras and night-vision equipment, Sinclair captured unusual lights hovering, sometimes moving in ways that seemed to defy conventional aircraft.

Perhaps most notably, as recently as the 2020s he recorded lights over the coastal waters of Yorkshire. In one instance, he even saw a light rise from underneath the sea.

Given this information, some theorize that there’s a UFO base located beneath the coastal waters of Yorkshire.

#24: The Broad Haven Triangle

In 1977, the quiet village of Broad Haven became the center of a wave of unexplained sightings that would be called the Broad Haven Triangle. It all began when local schoolchildren reported seeing a silver, cigar-shaped craft touch down in a nearby field.

Independent interviews revealed that multiple children gave strikingly similar descriptions, drawing attention from investigators. Soon, other residents across the area described unusual lights, strange humanoid figures, and even reports of a landed craft near a local hotel.

The sightings were concentrated but widespread, making the event one of Wales’ most notable UFO episodes. Skeptics suggest misidentification or imagination, yet the number and consistency of witnesses keep the mystery alive.

#23: Ancient Connections

We turn to a more theoretical encounter here - but also something that may be hidden in plain sight. As we know, the UK has a storied history with the supernatural and unexplained. One prominent eyebrow raiser is the landmark of Stonehenge and how it could have possibly been constructed. Some theories suggest that it is, in actuality, a structure of alien origin, displaying the different planets in the solar system.

Another prominent theory is linked to the county’s monarchy. The stone of destiny used in coronation ceremonies throughout the years has very mysterious origins.

Some have thrown around the idea that this stone was otherworldly, suggesting that perhaps the monarchy as we know it was set in place by extraterrestrial beings.

#22: RAF Bentwaters

What happens when a UFO isn’t just seen - but tracked, chased, and confirmed on radar?

In August 1956, RAF Bentwaters experienced a series of highly credible UFO incidents. The events began when radar detected unknown objects moving at speeds far exceeding known aircraft. These targets appeared solid, controlled, and intelligently directed. Ground observers also reported bright, fast-moving lights that darted, hovered, and grouped before separating.

The Royal Air Force scrambled a de Havilland Venom night fighter. As the pilot approached the target, his onboard radar locked on, but the UFO unexpectedly maneuvered behind the jet, effectively reversing the chase. Ground radar confirmed this interaction before the object accelerated away at incredible speed, losing contact.

#21: The Warminster Thing

There’s only one visitor children expect on the night of Christmas eve, and it's certainly not the one that appeared in Warminster in 1964. One resident was awoken by a hellacious sound that was almost as if her roof was being torn apart. However, when she stepped outside… nothing. Shrugging it off as some sort of plane, she discovered that a neighbour faced another bizarre phenomenon the next day - an unbearable, unnatural sound was ringing in her ears.

But she wasn’t the only one. More and more people experienced the sensation in the town until a townhall had to be assembled. They couldn’t find an answer as to what this disturbance was, and so dubbed it ‘the Warminster Thing’.

A year later, a supposed photograph of the ‘thing’ was taken and posted in the Daily Mirror.

#20: The Essex Trio

On the 10th of September 2005, numerous witnesses from around Loughton in Essex reported seeing trios of bright orbs flying through the sky, described as being “orange” and “balls of fire”. Many of the people were so shocked by what they saw that they called 999 to make their reports, apparently thinking that the UFOs were a police emergency. Years later and documents relating to the event became public, and they’ll send a chill down your spine: at least one witness said they felt as though they were being watched by the orbs. It appears Essex is a favourite spot for these orbs, as they were seen again in Romford a few days later.

#19: The Norfolk UFO Sightings

Believe it or not, Norfolk is the UFO capital of England, with close to a third of Norwich residents surveyed in 2021 saying they’d had some kind of run-in with extra-terrestrials. Remarkably, 2020 alone saw a spate of UFO sightings across the county, around 56 reported. One of the more interesting sightings was seen by 11 witnesses in November 2020, where bright lights were spotted moving erratically through the sky. It was also noted that UFO sightings increased during the first lockdown that year; it seems many spent the months indoors looking out of the window hoping that something interesting would happen - and it did.

#18: Ageist Aliens

Though it would be proof that we’re not alone in the universe, most people probably don’t want to get abducted by aliens – but what if you encountered some aliens and they said they didn’t think you were good enough to be abducted? That’s exactly what happened to a man called Alfred Burtoo when he saw a flying saucer descend near a canal in Hampshire in 1983. According to Burtoo, he approached and even communicated with the aliens, but being as he was 77, they decided he was “too old” to be worth their time and told him to clear off. That’s got to hurt.

#17: Elsie Oakensen’s Lost Time

While many UFO incidents are destined to fade into obscurity, Elsie Oakensen wrote an entire book detailing her encounter with a spacecraft in 1978, called “One Step Beyond: A Personal UFO Abduction Experience”. Oakensen claimed that she saw UFO descend above the A5 in Northamptonshire while she was driving and that when she drove under it her journey mysteriously took an additional fifteen minutes. Lost time has been a staple of UFO abduction mythology for decades, and since she did see the UFO, that was the obvious conclusion. She went on to do additional research into ufology.

#16: The Disappearance of William Schaffner

American pilot William Schaffner ended up getting stationed at RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire, and was sent out in September 1970 to investigate reports of a mysterious object late one evening. Schaffner tragically never made it back to base, disappearing over the North Sea. A month later and a long search operation was able to recover the wreckage of his BAC Lightning fighter plane, but Schaffner’s body has never been found. Though an RAF Squadron Leader claimed that the mysterious object was actually him during a training exercise in 2014, it’s still not clear why Schaffner never made it back to base or exactly what happened to him. Were aliens to blame after all?

#15: Bexleyheath UFO Encounter

Margaret Fry was simply trying to walk to her doctor’s when her journey was rudely interrupted by a flying saucer. This happened in London in 1955 and is one of the capital’s more notable sightings. It happened when close encounters were already on the uptick. The UFO in question was also witnessed by her GP and a handful of kids nearby and was a relatively standard flying saucer, which landed at a nearby junction before quickly leaving again. Decades on and a local paper embarked on a campaign to find the children Fry says also saw the craft, but it doesn’t look like anybody came forward.

#14: Dechmont Woods Incident

Also called the “Taylor Incident”, in 1979 a man called Bob Taylor was abducted by aliens in a rural area of West Lothian in Scotland. Taylor returned home late one evening in such a state, with his clothes torn and ruined, that when the police interviewed him they decided he must have been assaulted. The only problem was that Taylor distinctly remembered seeing an enormous flying saucer. In the decades until his death in the 2000s, Taylor always stuck by his story, and everybody he knew testified to the fact he wouldn’t have made something like that up. Today, there’s a plaque in Dechmont Woods to honour Taylor and his story.

#13: Berwyn Mountain UFO Incident

Was an earthquake in 1974 actually the impact of an alien spaceship crashing into a mountain range? Lots of people in Wales certainly think so. The Berwyn Mountain UFO Incident is so famous on the other side of the River Severn it’s been nicknamed the “Welsh Roswell”. As the story goes, a bright light was seen in the sky over the mountains and the sighting was followed by an earthquake. Earthquakes are quite rare in the UK, so feeling a 3.5 magnitude tremor in Wales didn’t go unnoticed. However, no impact crafter from any kind of aircraft – be it human or alien – was found in the mountains, though many still believe something supernatural was to blame.

#12: Cosford UFO Mystery

Along with Norfolk, Shropshire is up there on the list of aliens’ favourite destinations on the British Isles. But the Cosford UFO Mystery isn’t the mystery of why aliens are in Shropshire to begin with – though that certainly is mysterious – it’s a particularly strange encounter that happened in 1993. Triangular UFOs were spotted across the British countryside, most notably at bases RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury, where many experienced airmen also saw the phenomena and weren’t able to identify it. The Ministry of Defence even investigated because the reports were so credible, and it remains a major part of Shropshire’s local folklore.

#11: Kim Wilde Meets E.T.

She’s been out of the public eye for a while, but back in 2009, Kim Wilde came out publicly to say she’d had a close encounter in her own garden, nonetheless. Yes, aliens descended on Kim Wilde’s house in Hertfordshire and hovered around in the sky for the better part of two hours, in a craft Wilde describes as being “like the moon” but also “not like the moon”, as it was bright and clearly visible but moving erratically – something the moon doesn’t do. Not to worry though, somebody else saw the UFO as well and wouldn’t you know it, they took a picture. Wilde later dedicated a song to the aliens that visited her that day.

#10: Diamond in the Sky

In 1990, two hikers outside the small village of Calvine, Scotland, made history with one of

the most convincing UFO photos ever taken. However, bizarrely, this photo was allegedly

covered up in the 1990s by the Ministry of Defence – which apparently had a one-man

department investigating UFOs for a number of years. Before the existence of this

department was even public knowledge, the photo of a large, diamond-shaped object did the

rounds of various Intelligence organisations before vanishing forever. Only a reconstruction

of the supposed image remains.

#9: The Berkshire Rugby Ball

Nobody expects a rugby ball to come flying at them when they’re piloting an Airbus 34,000

feet over Berkshire, but that’s apparently what happened to one unlucky pilot. Only twenty

miles away from Heathrow Airport, the pilot was convinced this mysterious object was going

to crash right into the cockpit – he even ducked. It was reported to the authorities as a near

miss in 2014 and an investigation was launched, ultimately with no results. To this day,

there’s no explanation for what, exactly, he saw.

#8: Todmorden UFO Incident

Hypnosis has been known to work wonders for alleged abductees. It certainly did when it

was used on PC Alan Godfrey after a close encounter in 1980; he clearly recollected a craft

the size of a bus in the northern village of Todmorden. After various calls from the public who

were concerned about a herd of cows escaping, presumably spooked by the ship, a stranger

named Joseph supposedly took Godfrey onboard where a numbers of little creatures or

robots examined him. Several other officers and a lorry driver also claimed to have seen

something similar, adding credibility to his account.

#7: The Dudley Dorito

The Midlands’ most infamous alien spaceship, the “Dudley Dorito” has been sighted many

times in recent years. Not only have there been eyewitnesses, but some of them have even

managed to photograph or film the mysterious shape. The object gets its name from the

area where it appears and its triangular shape, looking like a big crisp in the sky with a few

bright lights to boot. For at least a decade it’s plagued the skies, roughly five times the size

of a jumbo jet, and people are still at a loss for explanations.

#6: The Copper Man

The oldest alien incident on our list occurred throughout the 18 th and 19 th Centuries in and

around Portsmouth, where a mysterious entity retroactively called “the copper man” was

repeatedly sighted. While only really known to locals, this story of a “human with metal skin”

first recorded in 1798 is incredibly weird. A young maid even saw the man with “metal flesh”

walk out of the sea and then go back in again, disappearing, but this frightening creature

hasn’t been seen at all since 1801.

#5: Stanmore Saucer

When police were called out to a woman’s house late one evening in 1984 because she

claimed to have seen a UFO, they presumably didn’t expect to also be faced with the object

in question. However, when they arrived the mysterious craft was still visible overhead and

stuck around long enough that they had a chance to do a rough sketch of it. The RAF also

reported not having any planes in the sky that evening. As the story goes, the police even

attempted (unsuccessfully) to follow it down the M1.

#4: Ilkley Moor Alien Sighting

On a cold evening in 1987, retired policeman Phil Spencer was out for a walk on Ilkley Moor,

Yorkshire, on his way to visit family. He also had an idea to take photographs of strange

lights he’d seen on the moors – but definitely got more than he bargained for. He saw a

strange being, took a picture, and chased it back to a UFO which quickly took off. The photo

was then analysed optical physicist and ufologist Dr. Bruce Maccabee. The conclusion was

that it had not been edited and the creature was no known animal.

#3: The Envoy

The Ministry of Defence may have acted shadily on occasion, but in this instance, they

apparently didn’t think anything of a strange man claiming to be an envoy for an extra-

terrestrial diplomat who wanted to speak to the authorities. The man said he’d been in

contact with aliens, specifically an alien named Algar, since he was age 7, and that Algar

was finally ready to reveal himself publicly. Unfortunately, before this could happen, Algar

was supposedly killed by some other aliens. The MoD never chased it up. We can kind of

understand why, though it does make for quite the story!

#2: The Falkirk Triangle

When you think of the “UFO capital of the world”, the first thing that springs to mind probably

isn’t the village of Bonnybridge, Scotland – also nicknamed the “Falkirk Triangle”. But it’s

been this area’s claim to fame ever since sightings began in 1992. For whatever reason,

aliens seem drawn to this patch of land between falkirk, Sterling and Bonnybridge, though

sceptics believe that it’s all a scheme by a local politician Billy Buchanan to attract tourists.

But there’s still hundreds of reports of strange lights and objects in the night sky.

#1: Rendlesham Forest Incident

So significant it’s nicknamed “Britain’s Roswell”, what happened at Rendlesham Forest in

Suffolk in 1980 has baffled people for decades. Centring on air base RAF Woodbridge, over

a few nights at the end of December many high-ranking officials claimed to see a UFO come

down in the woods. Personnel went to investigate and found a glowing, metal object that left

burn marks behind. The incident spooked so many people that the MoD were forced to issue

a public statement that national security was not at risk.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve ever had a close encounter of the third kind.