Footage of what appears to be a UFO hovering above the British coastline has caused a stir among experts.

The mysterious cylinder was spotted above a busy caravan park in Brean, Somerset, on a rare sunny day last summer.

Holidaymakers looked in amazement as the object appeared in the clear blue sky and remained for more than 10 minutes.

One tourist had a video camera and managed to capture its strange, erratic movements in the sky.

There are already a range of theories on what the object might have been, with some believing it was a kite or balloon.

The footage has since been uploaded on to video sharing website YouTube, where it has sparked fierce debate.

Users claim the object looks like a 'high altitude observation balloon payload'.

However, UFO 'expert' Malcolm Robinson insisted the object was 'totally consistent' with other sightings.

Mr Robinson, who runs UFO group Strange Phenomena Investigations, said: 'This video of a UFO is clearly very exciting.

'While UFOs are commonly thought to be spherical in shape, we receive dozens of calls from people who have spotted similar cylinder-shaped objects.

'There is, of course, an argument that this could be a weather balloon or some other common object.

'But my research has shown that it is totally consistent with other UFO sightings, none of which have been hoaxes or naturally-occurring phenomena.'

It is not the first time a mystery object has been spotted in the skies over Brean.

Last June, local coastguards were called out to search Somerset's coastline after sightings of a mystery parachute and canister, which were never found.

Note: Follow link below to view YouTube video

(Original headline: Is this a UFO hovering above a Somerset caravan park? )