A MYSTERIOUS round shape that is believed to be a UFO was spotted above Durley Chine beach last month.

Owner of Naked Coffee Ian Saul saw the flying object at 8.29pm on Monday, March 29 whilst at the beach with his partner, daughter and her friends.

He said: "I was sat down watching my daughter and friends play when I saw this crazy thing in the sky. I looked up and there it was in front of me. It was moving quite fast and at first I thought it was a shooting star as it was too high to be a drone and too close to be a plane.

"I don't believe in UFOs and I never have in all my life, but I can't explain what it was, especially when I see in my video how quickly it was flying.

"After watching it for a bit, whatever it was just disappeared. It went as quickly as it came. I have never seen anything like this in my life and I couldn't say what it was.

"When I watch the video back, it almost looks like a round ball flying in a circle whilst moving through the sky."

A possible explanation for this strange sighting could be that it was a lightning ball.

Occasionally, when the conditions are right, a small and roughly spherical piece of the atmosphere around us will briefly catch fire.

Some lightning balls or fireballs appear to be the products of living organisms.

The decay of organic matter leads to the release of methane and phosphorus-containing gases such as phosphine, which can spontaneously catch fire after encountering oxygen in the atmosphere, thus producing a flickering light, sometimes in the shape of a ball, which is suspended in mid-air.

These lightning balls typically only last for a few seconds, making it difficult to develop a conclusive theory explaining how it works.