Last year saw the largest number of alleged UFO or alien sightings reported to Devon and Cornwall Police in the last six years, including one in Seaton, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

The police were asked how many 999 or 101 calls the force has received in relation to alleged UFO or alien sightings from 2017 onwards, although a previous FOI also included figures from 2015 and 2016.

In the last six years, there have been 24 reports to the police when the caller to the police actually claimed to have seen an alien or a UFO.

But the response from the police said that all but four of the incidents involved individuals with mental health issues and are therefore not indicative of extra-terrestrial sightings.

Of the four remaining incidents, two - in Falmouth and Plymouth in 2016 - also both involved individuals who were recorded as sounding heavily intoxicated.

Another took place in Seaton with the caller reporting strange little lights moving in the sky while travelling back from Lyme Regis to Sidmouth.

The lights were spotted several times on the journey and they pulled over between Beer and Seaton to listen out for helicopter noise, but heard none.

A police officer saw the same lights on the way to work but, as the aircraft moved ,it revealed itself to be a helicopter.