Candles solve UFO mystery?

11:16am Tuesday 19th September 2006

A UFO mystery has been solved by a guest at a wedding reception.

A couple from Longwalk, Istead Rise, were left dumbfounded after they encountered strange lights in the night sky.

The pair claim they saw six red lights moving slowly in an inverted V shape with a long tail.

Helen Hanreck, 49, was looking for her cats in the garden when she noticed a bright light in the sky.

The insurance manager called to her partner, Nick Claydon, to have a look at the spectacle at 9.45pm.

Nursery nurse Becky Linehan was at a Japanese wedding reception at The Leather Bottle, The Street, Cobham, on the same night.

It is a Japanese tradition to let off sky candles to bless the marriage.

The 23-year-old, of Barr Road, Gravesend, says the candles must be the explanation to the sighting.

She said: "We lit the candles at 9.30pm and this was around the same time people said they saw them.

"I was in hysterics when I saw people thought it was a UFO."

North Kent police say they had one report of someone seeing flashing lights at 10.01pm on September 8.