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Todmorden: A Pennines Town at the Center of UFO Speculation
Todmorden, a quaint market town nestled in the Pennines, garnered prominence during the Industrial Revolution owing to its thriving cotton industry. While historically recognized for its industrial heritage, recent attention surrounding Todmorden stems from its emergence as a focal point for alleged UFO sightings. This unusual notoriety commenced in 1980 with the discovery of Zigmund Adamski, a coal miner from Tingley, whose body was found on a coal heap in Todmorden. Adamski had been missing for seven days, and his corpse exhibited unexplained burns on his head, shoulder, and neck, the origin of which remains undetermined.
The Adamski Incident: An Unexplained Death
Speculation of alien abduction arose when Police Constable Alan Godfrey commented that Adamski appeared to have been “frightened to death.” Regarding the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement, Godfrey stated to the press, “I am open-minded. I cannot dismiss it.”
The Godfrey Encounter: A Police Officer’s Experience
Subsequently, six months later, Godfrey himself reported a UFO encounter. While investigating reports of stray cattle on a Todmorden council estate, the former police officer recounted observing a luminous object hovering above the street, which he characterized as a “rotating diamond-shaped object.”
Following this observation, Godfrey attempted to contact his station via radio, only to discover his equipment was malfunctioning. The object then abruptly disappeared, and Godfrey found himself approximately 30 yards further along the road, noting a torn boot and a red, irritated mark on his foot.
Furthermore, he experienced a gap in his memory spanning the preceding half-hour. Under hypnosis, Godfrey later recalled a scenario of briefly regaining consciousness inside a chamber, purportedly undergoing medical examination by beings he interpreted as aliens, although he later conceded in 2018 that this was likely a dream.

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Allegations of Government Intervention
In the aftermath of his UFO report and his statements regarding potential alien abduction in the Adamski case, Godfrey stated he was approached by an individual claiming to be “from the ministry.” This individual purportedly compelled him to take an oath under the Official Secrets Act, prohibiting him from disclosing his observations.
Godfrey further asserts he encountered this man on several subsequent occasions until he ultimately confronted him in a public house and instructed him to leave. He reportedly never saw the man again but later indicated his belief that this enigmatic figure was an MI5 operative.
Aftermath and Continued Sightings
Godfrey also alleges that, in the years following these events, he was compelled to resign from the police force. Subsequently, he authored a self-published book chronicling his claims of alien encounters.
Despite these past events, reports of UFO sightings in the Todmorden area have persisted. Four decades after Godfrey’s description of the “spinning diamond,” Vicky Dinsdale, a local resident, reported witnessing a similar UFO phenomenon just months after the former police officer’s sighting.