A WORCESTER man has taken photos of what could be a UFO flying through the skies on New Year’s Eve.

The pictures were captured by 27-year-old Jason Day on his camera phone as a mysterious object passed over his home in Thorn Avenue, Brickfields, at about 9pm.

Mr Day had gone outside for a cigarette when he first noticed the UFO but it disappeared and he went back inside.

When he came back out, this time with a camera phone, it reappeared and he was able to capture an image of it.

Mr Day, an aircraft enthusiast, said he was not sure what it was but was convinced it wasn’t a plane.

He said: “There was no sound whatsoever when it came over. I just scratched my head and went back to talk to my wife. I went back outside to have the cigarette and it was there again, coming from the back of my garden, over the top of my house.

“On the two photographs I took, it appears to have changed shape. On one of the photographs it looks sort of parachute-shaped. I don’t know what it was but I’m certain it was not a plane. When I told my son the next morning he said, ‘Are UFOs real, Dad?’”

In the past it has been suggested that the UFOs are simply Chinese lanterns which are sometimes used at weddings and other celebrations.

Andrew Milner of The Ridings in Droitwich also saw “two dozen lights over his home at about 12.15am yesterday morning, shortly after the start of the new year, but believes what he saw were probably Chinese lanterns.

Michael Soper, media spokesman for Contact International UFO research, said he could not comment on the photographs until he had consulted fellow experts.

But he said it would be possible to check if the object was travelling in the same direction as the wind or whether there were any parties nearby which could indicate it was a Chinese lantern.

He said: “We do want people to come forward and tell us about the sightings. We have had videos of fast-moving objects in the sky. There are a number of UFO hot spots, including Herefordshire and the Malvern Hills.”

If you believe you have seen a UFO call the hotline on 01869 320989 or visit contactinternational.co.uk.