Nick Pope, who is now a leading commentator on UFO’s, offered the apology in a Talk TV documentary about Bonnybridge’s reputation as a hot spot for unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP’s), as they are now known.

Since the first sighting was reported in 1992, on the Falkirk Road, around 300 UFO sightings a year have been reported in and around the village.

Many of these reports were first made to Billy Buchanan, who has been the area’s local councillor more than 30 years.

In that time, he has heard claims of people seeing bright, hovering lights, cigar-shaped flying objects and even people being probed by aliens.

The sheer number of reports have led some to speculate on whether it is the portal to another dimension – although its fair to say that many villagers are also embarrassed by the association and remain firmly sceptical.

But while Billy Buchanan has written time after time to successive government ministers and Prime Ministers, his attempts to get them to take the issue seriously have been in vain.

This year, UFO’s have had attention in the USA, particularly in the House of Representatives, where witnesses spoke publicly of ‘non-human biologics’ and manoeuvres that seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Councillor Billy Buchanan. Pic: Falkirk Council.

The Talk TV documentary questioned whether or not Billy Buchanan was owed an apology for the way in which his claims have been treated.

While acknowledging that he can’t speak for the MoD, Mr Pope told the programme that as an individual he was happy to apologise.

“Billy Buchanan, the local people in Bonnybridge, perhaps the British people as a whole deserve a corporate apology. I don’t buy into every conspiracy theory on UFO’s but it was policy for decades to play down all of this.”

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But Councillor Buchanan – currently a Baillie of Falkirk Council and a former Provost – has dismissed the apology, claiming Mr Pope is an “agent provocateur”, still working for the government.

He said: “After years of working as a debunker for the MOD and giving no credibility to me and my constituents over the years, this individual has now changed his colours by appearing on all programmes and documentaries telling us that aliens are here.

“This incredulous change of course leads me to believe he is an agent provocateur – still working for the government but giving out false information to keep clouding the facts.

“Yes, I am pleased that after years of negativity towards me he has actually apologised to me but more importantly to the people of my area.”

In response, Mr Pope categorically denies that he is still working for the government on the UFO issue.

He said: “I think the accusations stem in part from the fact that those of us who have been involved in handling the UFO issue from within the government are automatically going to be the villains in the minds of people who think there’s a conspiracy to cover-up the truth about UFOs.

“I understand Billy Buchanan’s frustration, because it’s true that it was MoD policy for decades to play down the true extent of our interest and involvement in UFOs, and to fob people off with standard responses telling them the subject was of little or no defence significance.

“But this downplaying wasn’t to cover up an alien presence, and simply reflected our corporate embarrassment that some UFO sightings suggested the presence of objects in UK airspace capable of speeds, manoeuvres and accelerations that exceeded our own capabilities, yet remained unidentified.

“We didn’t rule out the extra-terrestrial hypothesis, but neither – despite the conspiracy theories – did we have any definitive proof to support it.”

Councillor Buchanan and his long-time collaborator, paranormal investigator Malcolm Robinson, have continued to press the UK government to open its X-Files.

In October, they went to London to urge the current government to make public the information it holds on UFO’s.

Mr Buchanan said: “The Bonnybridge phenomenon has over the years continued to gain credibility world wide and now, with the whistleblowing in the US, the truth is definitely out there.”

Apology to UFO councillor and people of Bonnybridge from former MOD officer who once dismissed sighting claims