Two people witnessed the circular beam of light above Halifax which moved quickly and erratically from side to side.

The Halifax UFO was one highlight among an astounding 34 unexplained sightings in West Yorkshire alone.

West Yorkshire is ranked number one in 'The Virgin Media Files' – a specially complied list of Britain's top 10 UFO hot spots.

The research, conducted by Virgin Media to mark a month-long Sci-Fi series on its TV on demand service is supported by the former head of the Government's UFO project, Nick Pope.

'The Virgin Media Files' have been compiled from data which goes back to 1961 and , including a large.

The top 10 areas are:
1. West Yorkshire (34)
2. Nottinghamshire (29)
3. Lancashire (23)
4. Shropshire (22)
5. North Somerset and Avon (22)
6. Suffolk (19)
7. South Wales (18)
8. Co. Durham (17)
9. Lanarkshire (15)
10. Devon (15)

Click here to see a larger version of Britain's UFO hot spots map

Nick Pope said: "It's fantastic to see local folk taking an interest in UFO activity and keeping an eye on the sky! While we currently have no explanation why certain places in the UK are alien hot spots, as the research reveals, there are areas where mysterious objects are repeatedly witnessed, so people who want to alien-spot should definitely head to Halifax."

Virgin Media has set up a dedicated area on its website where people can now share their real life encounters at www.virginmedia.com/ufo

James Kydd, managing director of brand and marketing at Virgin Media, said: "Sci-Fi is a popular genre with many dedicated fans of all ages so it's great to be able to make the classic shows available on Virgin Media TV On Demand for people to enjoy whenever they want. And who knows, as West Yorkshire is one of our top 10 hot spots, Halifax folk may even have their very own close encounter with the third kind!"