Police launched a huge search for debris after neighbours reported a mysterious ‘glowing object’ falling from the sky over Plymouth.

Devon and Cornwall Police deployed two helicopters to search moorland outside the city after the bizarre sightings.

The force was inundated with calls at around 6am from spooked residents who described seeing a bright object ‘break in half’.

Initially it was feared the object may have been a light aircraft involved in a crash, with helicopters searching Dartmoor areas around Yelverton, Cadover Bridge, Tavistock and Princetown for downed planes.

Police now believe it was related to a ‘meteor shower’ over Devon.

Police said: ‘We have had further reports of seeing an object in the sky from some distance away with a trajectory towards the ground, with an item falling off it at some point.

‘There have been reports it broke into two and this has come from numerous people.

‘In principle if it was an aircraft there would be something visible from the sky in terms of smoke and or fire.

‘It could also be a meteorite.’

Inspector John Shuttleworth later told Plymouth Live the force were ‘satisfied’ it was not a light aircraft and no-one was injured.

He said: ‘The expert opinion of trained search officers is that if there had been an aircraft crash, assets in the air would have seen some debris.

‘There have also been a couple of reports from the Cardiff and Dorset areas of people watching meteor showers across the South West.’

A ‘meteoroid’ is a small chunk of space rock which is called a ‘meteor’ if it burns up in the earth’s atmosphere. If the rock is more than 10 metres in diameter it is known as an ‘asteroid’.

It is estimated up to 500 meteoroids hit earth every year but only around 10 are recovered.

Police in Crownhill, Plymouth, tweeted this morning: ‘Did anybody else see two glowing objects falling southwesterly direction out towards Plymouth sound? (the city’s seafront)

‘I know I have been up all night, but that was odd. Asteroid?’

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