UFOs over Sheffield: How a 14-year-old boy fooled CIA

This photo was taken in 1962 and appears to show a fleet of dark saucers in the skies over the city.

It was investigated by the CIA and the media for more than a decade - until it was revealed to be a hoax by a schoolboy.

Alex Birch, aged 24, had pulled off the prank, aged 14, with two friends.

They painted the five saucers on glass and took a photo through it, making it look like the UFOs were in the air.

The photo is one of hundreds of documents and pictures released by the CIA - quite timely with the imminent return of The X-Files to our TV screens.

A statement from the CIA said: “The CIA declassified hundreds of documents in 1978 detailing the Agency’s investigations into Unidentified Flying Objects.

“The documents date primarily from the late 1940s and 1950s.

“To help navigate the vast amount of data contained in our FOIA UFO collection, we’ve decided to highlight a few documents both skeptics and believers will find interesting.

“You will find documents we think X-Files character Agent Fox Mulder would love to use to try and persuade others of the existence of extraterrestrial activity.

“We also pulled five documents we think his skeptical partner, Agent Dana Scully, could use to prove there is a scientific explanation for UFO sightings.

“The truth is out there.”