Posted: December 21, 2009

Location of Sighting: Taunton Somerset UK
Date of Sighting: 20/21 December 2009
Time: 00.30

Witness Statement: I've included street names to clarify the situation to those of you who know Taunton.

Tonight as I was walking my dogs, I headed home down the top end of Rochester Road, Priorswood. At a point about opposite the blocks of garages, (near the turning into Ludlow Avenue) the road turns slightly and my view ahead was now straight over the town. This part of Taunton is fairly elevated above the town centre - an excellent view-point on bonfire night, for example.

I checked the whereabouts of my free-ranging dogs (all close around me as it happened) and looked ahead down the road. As I did so I noticed a bright orange light coming towards me in the sky. At the time I noticed it, I guessed that it was probably more or less over the town centre - perhaps one and a half miles to two miles away and seemingly only somewhat above eye level to me.

Initially I thought it was the late night aeroplane that always comes over Taunton, but then I realised it wasn't because it was too low and there was only one light. It was pretty bright - brighter than the police helicopter searchlight (although I've never had it pointed at me) and I soon realised that it wasn't an aeroplane's lights because it was the wrong colour. The light seemed elongated vertically - perhaps as if there were two lights one above the other but blurred together.

I stood and watched and it continued to head in my direction and I was able to view it for perhaps 20 seconds before began to veer off to the right (to my left as I saw it). But it remained just as bright and only started to dim as it moved further away.

At that point, now that it was moving away from me, I also began to make out a shape - quite firm lines amidst the orange glow.

It was shaped like a stick arrow with the point at the top. At the bottom was another stick arrow also pointing upwards. It seemed to have a central bar (or another arrow-head) but it was beginning to waver and fade into the distance.
I accept that my eyes may have been playing tricks - that I didn't actually 'see' any shapes, but that was the impression that I got at the time.

While I'd been out with the dogs, I'd been well wrapped up including a Cossack-style furry hat covering my head and ears against the freezing air. But now I removed it because, if it was indeed the police helicopter then it was pretty close and I loved to hear its staccato exhaust - a much 'sharper' exhaust noise than other helicopters.

But as I stood there bare-headed, there was absolute silence as the light continued towards me and then turning away from me without a sound. There was very little traffic around because the roads were icy and it had snowed lightly - and it was also Sunday night.....

I wondered briefly if the sound was being carried away from me but I realised that the night was absolutely still - hardly a breath of wind - and an almost crystal clear sky too with no moon. And even as it veered off it remained silent until it finally faded out of sight.

Size - I have no idea. I had the feeling that it was just "lamp-sized" and I certainly didn't feel that it was as big as a car, for example. I had no impression of there being a body attached to the light.

Height above ground - I would have guessed at perhaps 500-1000 feet at the most - certainly not as high as a plane would normally fly but at perhaps the kind of height a police helicopter might fly. It definitely gave the impression of being at or not far above my eye level when I first spotted it - and my height above sea level was around 150 feet; some 60-80 feet above the town.

Speed - well, if it was indeed "over the town" when I first spotted it then it seemed to be traveling at about the kind of speed that the police helicopter would fly as it left the 'scene of the crime' - perhaps 100 - 150 mph.....maybe a bit less.

Direction - it appeared to the South West of me and then veered off towards the East.

Total viewing time - perhaps 40 seconds.