With our towering cathedral spire and stunning castle you would expect Norwich to catch the eye of visitors from above.

However, new figures have revealed the city may have to offer something more if it is to attract extra-terrestrials to visit.

A Freedom of Information request submitted to Norfolk Constabulary has shown that if the city is home to regular UFO sightings, they are not being reported to the authorities.

In the past five years, Norfolk Constabulary has received just three reports of unidentified flying objects being spotted above the city.

And the most recent of these reports was made back in March 2019, meaning even ET wasn't going out during lockdown.

The other reports came in July and September in 2017, both made at addresses in Norwich.

Eastern Daily Press: Tony Buckingham set-up the East Anglian UFO Group.Tony Buckingham set-up the East Anglian UFO Group. (Image: Archant)

But 67-year-old Tony Buckingham, who has spent more than 50 years of his life gazing at the skies after a paranormal experience in 1974, says that people who witness strange objects in the sky may simply not report them to the police.

He said: “We’re in the age of social media and lives being ruled by smart phones, so I think when people see UFOs the first thing they do will find a Facebook group and report them there.

“I think over the years the police, Ministry of Justice and Royal Air Force will have been the port of call, but now everything is through social media.”

However Mr Buckingham, from Littleport, who founded the East Anglian UFO Group, does believe the pandemic has seen people gazing to the skies more often.

He said: “Personally, I’ve noticed quite a few more reports being made in groups in the last year or so and the only variable I can think of to explain it is the pandemic, as people have more time on their hands.”

Ash Ellis, who runs website UFO Identified, said he was aware of just one serious sighting in Norwich in the past year – on November 23, 2020, when two bright “orb lights” were seen flying across the city horizon.

Other reports made in Norfolk turned out to be Star Link satellites.