THE mystery surrounding a dozen orange lights seen over Basingstoke at the weekend has deepened with aviation authorities unable to offer an explanation.

Strange lights in the sky were spotted by a number of residents in the Basingstoke area between 10.40pm and 11.10pm on Saturday.

David Osborne, of Loggon Road, Cranbourne, Basingstoke, said he saw lights south of Basingstoke, from his bedroom window.

He claims they were moving in from the Alton to Odiham direction.

He immediate phoned RAF Odiham but after staff at base said they would not investigate, the 47-year-old telephoned The Gazette.

He said: "I saw some eerie strange lights. They were bright orange and very high in the sky.

"I've never seen anything like it before in my life."

Mr Osborne, said they did not resemble any aircraft movements, as he was familiar with airfields at RAF Odiham, Lasham and Popham.

A flurry of UFO reports in Wales last week coincided with a wedding party releasing dozens of blazing Chinese lanterns, which rise into the sky like hot-air balloons.

The National Air Traffic Service has confirmed it had no recorded incidents that night.

Jane Johnston, spokesperson for the NATS, said: "There was nothing unusual reported that night that was reported that would necessitate logging it."

The Ministry of Defence said it took no active role in identifying UFO sightings.

In a statement, the MoD said: "Unless there is evidence of a potential threat, there is no attempt to identify the nature of each sighting reported."

Anyone who witnessed the unexplained phenomena in the Basingstoke area, can email newsdesk@basingstokegazette. co.uk or call 01256 337444.