The sky turned dark, then yellow, then blue balls began dropping out of the sky. Not the start of a science fiction film but Steve Hornsby's account of a strange happening in his back yard in Dorset – a mystery the local florist has offered an explanation for.

Speaking to the Guardian, Mr Hornsby described that fateful night: "I was just about to pop into the garage to get some logs for the fire when the sky went very dark and then a strange yellow colour. There was then a short, sharp hail storm that lasted for about 20 seconds...

"Then I spotted something on the lawn and it looked like broken glass. But then I put my foot on it and it disappeared and I thought it was strange. Then I looked around and there were lots of others. They were definitely not there before the storm. They were almost impossible to pick up, they were very jelly-like."

With Mulder and Scully nowhere to be seen, Mel Smith of Ena's Florists in Bournemouth stepped in to offer an explanation. Speaking to the BBC, she said: “The balls look extremely similar to the gel/aqua/hydro balls we use in the shop. We buy them dehydrated and then soak them in water for about six hours and they hydrate to balls up to 1 inch or so in diameter. They even have the same consistency when broken into."

Josie Pegg, a science research assistant at Bournemouth University, speculated that the objects might be "marine invertebrate eggs".

Mr. Hornsby is still sceptical though and is keeping the balls in his fridge, ready for the University to analyse the substance.