PREVIOUSLY confidential documents released by the National Archive have revealed details of three UFO sightings recorded in the Gwent area in recent years.

The Ministry of Defence closed its UFO desk in December 2009 despite a surge in reported sightings.

One unknown sighting in Newport dates back to the summer of 1954, but was not reported until over half a century later.

The letter described how a "black circle was seen in the sky and then when it turned sideways, it looked like a silver flying saucer". The unidentified man said it was "definitely a UFO".

Another flying saucer was allegedly seen by a motorcyclist at Argoed in August 2008. The unidentified man recalls in an e-mail to the MoD how he "spotted three bright orange lights in the sky about a mile away, (I) pulled over to look and noticed that the lights were heading towards me".

He added: "The lights switched off one by one but (I) could still see one of the objects, (I) lost sight of the other two, this object was black and disc shaped, it also moved quick and was silent."

The most recent sighting in the Gwent area was reported in July 2009.

A PR consultant, who confessed to having a keen interest in aviation as a child, was walking his dog when he saw an unusual object in the sky over the centre of Newport.

"The object was a bright, reddish light travelling west to east, below cloud level," he explains in a detailed e-mail.

"I don’t subscribe to ideas of aliens visiting the planet because I don’t believe that it is possible to cross the vast distances of space," he added.

The 4,400-page document related to sightings reported between 2007 and November 2009.