A retired painter and decorator saw more than he bargained for when he stepped out of his flat for a cigarette - and spotted six UFOs flying in formation.

John Petros, 42, was celebrating his birthday with son Petros, 11, when he saw what he described as bright red craft appear in the night sky.

From his balcony in Rokesly Avenue, Crouch End, he says he saw the six ships form a cross over Archway for several minutes before disappearing.

He captured two grainy images on his camera phone, which appear to show red dots in the sky but could not get a better image in time.

He said: "I saw two of them coming up together. At first I thought they were planes, and they were going to crash because they were so close."

The craft swept in low from the east on Saturday, July 26, at 11.55pm before rising vertically and forming a cross shape, he said.

"I called my son," he said "He couldn't believe it. They all went straight up and into the clouds and disappeared. The last one stayed in the air for about a minute, and then went up and up and it disappeared."

Mr Petros is confident the lights were not fireworks or flares or planes.

He says it was the "first time" he had ever seen a UFO, adding: "I would love to take these [pictures] to NASA and they would either verify it or say someone is having a joke. I wish I could have got it on video. I know what I saw."

He insisted that although it was his birthday he had only been drinking tea and coffee and had not been drinking alcohol or taking drugs. He said: "There has got to be something out there."

Paul Southcott, 49, co-founder of the UFO Supernatural Study Group, said: "We would like to hear his thoughts about it. It does sound like a good sighting. This is the first I have heard of them doing a cross in the sky."

Mr Southcott, who lives near the Angel, Islington, added: "At that time of night people are either asleep or drunk or watching a DVD. I have seen some good stuff in the sky and have craved for someone to come forward about it." Police say they did not receive any calls about UFOs on that night.