UFO sightings in Bolton are not unusual new research shows

The Bolton News has reported a number of residents being left mystified after spotted strange objects flying above the town.

Now it seems they are not alone in spotting what they believed was a UFO.

Greater Manchester has been identified as the biggest UFO and unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) hotspot in 2022.

Using data from UFO Identified and their UK UFO Report 2022, BonusInsider has created a map of the regions where people are most likely to spot a UFO.

It found that the highest number of UFO sightings in 2022 were reported in Greater Manchester.

Of the total 497 reports assessed by UFO Identified in the UK in 2022, 26 reports described either UFOs or UAPs were in the region.

Recently, The Bolton News reported on a potential sighting after a photographer inadvertently captured a mysterious object while taking a snap of Bolton Parish Church.

Adrian Finney, author of Strange Manchester: Ghost Stories, UFO Encounters, Big Cat Sightings, and more from across Greater Manchester, says there could be any number of reasons why Bolton could be experiencing a high frequency of UFO activity, “from the mundane - more people than ever have drones flying about now - to the more out there”.

He added: “With the recent news that the US military shot down an unidentified object, and with them admitting and releasing footage of strange objects, more people than ever are looking skywards.

READ MORE: Bolton photographer captures 'UFO' over Churchgate

“Bolton itself does seem a bit of a magnet for the weird and it’s definitely a supernatural hotspot.

“When compiling my book, Bolton was the place where I had by far the most material and the most people wanting to share their stories.”

Adrian Finney has authored several books in his 'Strange Britain' series and also runs ghost walks in his home town of Sheffield (Image: Adrian Finney)

Adrian says that Bolton has a UFO history that stretches back “a lot further than people might readily realise”.

He said: “There was a young boy playing outside who saw three beings, for want of a better word, with what he described as light bulbs over their heads. They were grey skinned, about five foot tall, with large almond eyes and tiny slits for mouths.

“They noticed the boy, pressed a button, and then vanished in a blinding light.

“From that description they’re clearly the aliens people call ‘Greys’ and it sounds very much like they were beamed up, Star Trek style.

READ MORE: Man claims UFO sighting in Ingledene Grove, Bolton

“For the days around this sighting people were describing seeing a chimney like object flying and hovering on its side overhead.

“The interesting thing about this sighting is that it took place all the way back in 1926.

'UFO' captured near Bolton Parish Church in December 2022 (Image: N/A)

“Forty-odd years later, when the Apollo Astronauts were on the news, that young boy said that rather than lightbulbs the beings must have had a typical space helmet on. It’s just we didn’t have any words or cultural references for that back in 1926.”

Although Adrian has not experienced a UFO sighting himself, he has heard of a recent story from a commercial co-pilot close to Bolton.

READ MORE: Man sights UFO at Darwen Tower and talks of '50-year experience'

“They had flown across the Atlantic and was heading into Manchester Airport form the West. He swore blind that they saw several strange objects keeping pace with their plane before “peeling off at high speed," he said.