A man who spotted a UFO in the skies above Woodford Green believes there is a conspiracy to cover up "something strange" about Woodford.

The Ministry of Defence has appealed for calm after sightings over Woodford Green last weekend.

Two residents have contacted the Guardian saying they saw a strange object flying through the sky above the Winston Churchill statue.

Construction worker Darrell Greenway, 19, told the Guardian he believes it could indicate that an alien invasion is about to happen.

A government spokeswoman said residents should not be alarmed by the sighting, but Mr Greenway is convinced that what he saw was a hostile alien craft.

He said: "I was walking down the road with my friend by the Cricketers Pub on the High Road, it was a really sunny day.

"Someone shouted oh my God what's that?' I looked up and there was this white-grey dish-like thing up in the sky.

"It wasn't a plane because it didn't have any fuel coming from it.

"It was going really fast, and it was quite low, about the height of Canary Wharf."

He added: "I think it was aliens. I know people who have also seen strange things in sky - there's something secretly going on with Woodford."

But the MoD dismissed the claims.

Spokeswoman Susan Coulthard said: "It's certainly common that people see something they don't understand.

"There are many possible explanantions for such sightings, whether it is aircraft, ballons or other similar objects."

She added: "we are scanning the skies all the time for security reasons, so the chances of a member of the public seeing something that we don't know about are remote."

"Unless there is evidence of a potential threat, there is no attempt to identify the nature of each sighting reported."

Ms Coulthard said the ministry had not received any reports of sightings in Redbridge.

She added: "Do people living in Woodford need to be worried? No they do not."

However Mr Greenway disagrees.

"They are trying to cover it up" he said.

  • Have you seen anything unusal in the skies over Redbridge?