Emergency services have responded to numerous 999 calls tonight after worried members of the public reported seeing ‘flares’ in the sky.
But it turned out the ‘flares’ were in fact part of a spectacular meteorite shower, which lit up the sky over the North Sea.
Stornoway Coastguard said it began receiving “a flurry” of phonecalls just after 9pm – as did colleagues in Shetland and Belfast – from places like North Uist, the Isle of Mull and Oban.
“They thought they were marine distress flares, and they rightly so reported it,” a spokeswoman said.
“The majority reported big, bright white lights. Some thought they looked green-yellowish.”
She said that the meteorites could be spotted across Europe.
“We’ve had clear skies all day,” she said.
Spectacular meteorite shower sparks “flurry” of 999 calls
