The UFO captured on camera

The man, 35, who didn't want to give his name for fear of being ridiculed, said he truly believes that what he saw was an alien craft and definitely not an aeroplane, weather balloon, Chinese Lantern or strange weather phenomenon.

He said: "I was in my loft room on Sunday night and happened to look up through the roof windows when I saw three distinct glowing orbs.

"I was instantly gobsmacked and knew straight away that whatever it was it wasn't from Earth.

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The UFO as seen through the loft window

"I'm not a big believer in UFOs, never had been, so I grabbed my phone and snapped off a couple of shots thinking it would be gone in a few seconds, but it wasn't. It stayed totally motionless in the sky for at least 20 minutes before rocketing up out of view faster than anything I have ever seen.

"How can you account for that? How can that be anything like a plane? It's impossible.

"I'm a businessman, an intelligent guy and someone who has always been described as a sceptic, but I was stunned to say the least. Absolutely mesmerised."

The man, who lives in the Swinley area, went on: "I can't be the only person that saw this and when I showed people the pictures they were shocked too.

"You can see from the pictures just how colourful these objects are. The lights weren't flashing and there was absolutely no sound. They just hovered there slightly pulsating.

"To be honest it's given me a whole new perspective on things. It was the most surreal moment of my life."

Wigan has been a hotbed of UFO sightings over the years - there have been dozens of strange objects reported in the skies above our town.

"This, to me, is irrefutable proof that there are other beings not from around here visiting us, either from far away galaxies or other dimensions," said the UFO spotter. "The only other explanation would be that it was some kind of experimental secret man-made craft, but the speed in which it shot away was incredible and suggests something other-worldly."