Newly-published Ministry of Defence records have revealed a UFO sighting over Exmouth.

According to reports released under the Freedom of Information Act, an unidentified object was recorded over the town on July 18, 2001.

The MoD is contacted in all UFO cases, the aim being to investigate whether the country's airspace has been threatened. However, since 2000, the MoD has simply logged all public sightings and saved resources for other matters.

The records state: "The object was cream-coloured. Was traveling at an altitude of about 8,000 feet."

A spokesperson for the MoD, which receives more than 100 sightings a year, said: "Unless there is a potential threat, there is no attempt to identify the nature of each sighting."