Strange things have been spotted in the skies over Littlehampton, prompting extra-terrestrial questions.

There have been at least two sightings of unexplained flying objects, if not UFOs, in the last two weeks.

Nineteen-year-old student Fraser Moyles saw a strange orange light last Tuesday, and Worthing-based Andrew Alexander saw two of the objects on Saturday (January 3).

Fraser said: "I was driving along the seafront towards the East Beach Cafe with my dad, at about 5.45pm, and this orange light came up from the ground in the distance."

Assuming it was a firework, they watched it raise, in a vertical line, but it did not explode.

"It changed direction, and, in a horizontal line, headed out to sea. We pulled over, and I got out of the car to see if it was making any noise, but it wasn't. It travelled out to sea until I couldn't see it any more."

On Saturday, Andrew was visiting friends in Gloucester Road, when they spotted two objects, at about 9.20pm.

"We saw two orange lights which seemed to flicker and pulsate, gliding silently over the house then over the river south-westerly.

"The sky was very clear, the moon was a quarter crescent. At first I thought it was some sort of balloon or kite with lights on it, but then the lights moved apart, then one headed south and the other headed west! They eventually faded out of view."

He added that the objects were mostly likely Chinese lanterns, let off to celebrate the new year.

"However, what puzzled me and my friends is that they flew off in different directions."

Harbour master Colin Hitchcock confirmed that no flares were released on either night, and that no aerial displays had taken place.

Could this be a case for Moulder and Scully?