The Sun has mobilised a crack team of hacks and ufologists to probe a sensational sighting of a formation of extraterrestrial vehicles swooping over the mean streets of Bethnal Green:

"Baffled" expert Nick Pope, who apparently "used to investigate sightings for the Ministry of Defence", described the visitation as “truly fascinating”. He said: “It appears to show nine objects flying in near perfect formation. About the only thing I know that can do this is the Red Arrows - and it’s not them. I’ve run through the list of possibilities that normally explain these things, but I can’t find an answer.”

Shaken locals shared Pope's bafflement, with one telling an on-the-spot Sun reporter: “This is definitely the strangest thing I’ve ever seen in Bethnal Green.”

In other Street View news, our piece last week on the truly chilling Victorian ghost stalks Cardiff mystery prompted Google to pull an image of an Edinburgh man cheerily giving the search monolith's spycar the two-finger treatment.

Very churlish, and we have just one thing to say:

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