In a case worthy of the X Files, two separate Evening Telegraph readers spotted the mysterious lights floating in the sky to the north-east of Peterborough.

First contact was made last Thursday as a baffled James Platt and his wife had noticed from their home in Elton a dozen bright fire-like orange lights in the sky at about 11pm.

He said: "They moved slowly, from the direction of Elton, and disappeared to the east. I don't think that they were aircraft because we saw no flashing lights and heard no noise. They also seemed too randomly spaced to be aircraft. I'm 99.9 per cent sure that there is a reasonable explanation. But I'd love to know if anybody else has seen such a thing in or around Wansford."

Having read about the lights on www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk, Avi Johsi, and her husband Vik were travelling southbound down the A1 near Wansford, on Saturday, when they saw a similar phenomenon just after 10pm.

Mrs Joshi said: "There were seven bright lights, just hanging in the skies. It was a clear night and no clouds, so we could tell they were not pylons."

The couple drove home to Yaxley to pick up their camera to try to get a snap, but by the time they got back the lights had disappeared.

She added: "I would be really interested to see if anyone else saw them. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation."

The truth may indeed be out there. Intrigued by the mystery, Mr Platt decided to investigate further and found that the reason may be more earth-bound than extra-terrestrial.

He said: "I saw more lights on Saturday, which just seemed to hang there, slowly drifting along, before disappearing. When I mentioned the lights to a friend, they said they might be floating Chinese lanterns. I had a look on a website and it seemed to make sense. I know there are a lot of wedding venues around there, so I think this might be the answer."

n If you saw the lights or have an explanation contact The Evening Telegraph on news@ peterboroughtoday.co.uk