It could be proof there really are little green men out there - or it could just be a close encounter with something far less alien.

A couple spotted five round orange objects moving silently across the skies over the city on Saturday night in one of the first UFO sightings this year.

Liam King, who was visiting Norwich from Colchester with his girlfriend, spotted the glowing orbs as he was walking along St Giles' Street, Upper St Giles' Street and Earlham Road at 10.35pm.

Mr King and his girlfriend were walking back to their hotel on Earlham Road when they saw the mystery objects.

He said: "When we first saw the lights we were walking west up St Giles Street where it was reasonably quiet - and quiet enough to hear that the objects were not emitting any sound.

"Just as we lost the first two behind the roofs of the buildings on Upper St Giles Street we saw a third traveling in the same direction, then a fourth and a fifth.

"We were able to view the fifth light more clearly and were able to see that the light was flying between us and the nearest cloud."

Another man, who also saw the UFOs but did not want to be named, said: "It was amazing - there were six fireballs in the sky, one was much brighter than the others. I took pictures on my camera but they've come out as white fuzzy blobs. When you zoom in it looks like a spiral in spirals. I watched and they all started disappearing, then, this sounds crazy, but one shot into the other one at a speed far faster than any plane could go. And then they shot into space. I feel silly saying it - but what I saw was not normal."

The Norfolk UFO Society confirmed Mr King's description is a very common sighting of an unidentified object.

John Sayer, 54, from the organisation said: "Orange is quite a common description and so are balls of light.

"It seems the Norwich area is a hot spot for UFO activity - a lot aren't reported, but the city has one of the highest number of sightings."

Mr Sayer of Stratton Strawless had around six reports of sightings in the city during the autumn months last year.

Spotters of unidentified flying objects over Hellesdon saw a black triangular craft above Low Road on August 23.

Last week, a pilot and passengers crossing the Channel Islands spotted two large yellow cigar-like objects in the sky.

The objects were thought to be a mile long and the sightings have sparked interest in the eternal question of whether UFOs exist.

Those who believe they have seen an unidentified flying object can report it to the Norfolk UFO Society, but the Ministry of Defence also keeps recordings from across the country.

The MOD reports at the end of 2006 state Norfolk had a similar sighting in East Dereham on May 20 last year where "Orange lights were seen. They appeared to be in formation and traveling slowly."

Did you see the orange objects on Saturday or can you explain what appeared? Call Lucy Bolton on 01603 772429 or email lucy.bolton@archant.co.uk