Those in Edinburgh think the latter, as it has been named the top city in the UK for UFO sightings.

A survey has found that 18 per cent of residents in Edinburgh claim to have spotted something otherworldly in the sky. London and Leicester came second and third on the list, with 14 and 12 per cent respectively, according to the research commissioned by the National Geographic

Leicester, which came second on the list, is only just over an hour’s drive away from Bonsall in Derbyshire. The unsuspecting village was named the ‘ UFO H๏τspot’ of the UK last month, as it has been central to numerous sightings over the years. Pictured: A reported UFO sighting in Bonsall, Derbyshire from 2001

In 2016, Mr Pope said that of the 12,000 sightings that the programme investigated, approximately five per cent remained unexplained.

The former investigator said in 1980 the department were alerted to a UFO close to the Bentwaters and Woodbridge airbases.

The team later concluded that radiation levels at the site had been ‘significantly higher than the average background’.

Just under half of the survey participants said they believe in the existence of aliens, while ten per cent claimed they have witnessed something ‘unusual’. Pictured: A motorist captured the lights from an apparent UFO on his dashcam while driving on the M8, close to Edinburgh

Pictured: A strange light was seen hovering in the sky above Eltham in South London in 2014

Nick Pope (pictured), a former UFO investigator for the Ministry of Defence, said: ‘UFOs are big news now, and a lot of people are reporting – and sometimes filming – extraordinary things’