Earlier this week, the Evening Leader revealed how a couple from the Sontley Road area, outside Wrexham, returned home at about 7.40pm that evening to watch in amazement as five brightly-lit objects soared overhead.

The man, who said they were coming from the direction of Rhostyllen and heading towards Marchwiel, at first thought the objects might have been a helicopter until he realised they were completely silent.

He said: “At first there was just one of them, then another two of these things went over our home, followed by another two.

“As they passed overhead some of them just seemed to vanish into thin air but one or two of them appeared to shoot off at high speed.”

The man’s wife said: “I really thought aliens were coming to get me.”

Since the story appeared we have had more calls from people who saw the lights at the same time on Sunday.

Kara Edwards, of Tanycoed, said: “At first I thought they were planes but there were too many and after going over the house they shot off at high speed.”

She added: “I couldn’t believe what I had seen and texted all my friends to tell them about it.”

Now the mystery of the lights has been solved by Karen Phillips, of Wellington Road, Wrexham, who told us what so many people saw in the night sky were the Chinese lanterns – or sky lanterns – she and friends released on Sunday evening to mark the birthday of her late daughter.

Rhian Ellen Phillips, 22, died in a tragic accident when she fell from a bridge in Brisbane, Australia 11 months ago.

Mrs Phillips said: “We planted a tree in memory of Rhian in the grounds of the Erddig estate and last Sunday evening I and some friends went there to release the lanterns into the sky to mark her birthday.

“We let off about nine to a dozen of the lanterns, which measure about three feet by three feet, are white are made of tissue paper.

“They have a light inside them and use the same principle as a hot air balloon, as the warmth from the light makes them float in the sky.

“When we released them they floated off in the direction of Sontley Road and that is where they were seen by the first couple who contacted you. After that they must have floated towards Marchwiel.”

Source: Eveningleader