A HOT air balloon made a spectacular landing on the Ledbury Road roundabout in Hereford on Friday evening.

Malcolm Whyatt from Nimrod Drive, Hampton Dene, was reading the paper in his glass roofed conservatory at around 8pm on May 30, when he heard a loud noise and the shouts of people passing overhead.

The retired photo-journalist said: "I was sat there relaxing when all of a sudden I heard a huge noise like a massive blow torch. I looked up and I could see a group of people waving at me.

"They did not seem to be scared but they were only a couple of hundred feet above the houses and it was clear to me that they would struggle to make it over the trees on Hafod Road," he added.

And as the balloon was forced to land on the busy roundabout, Mr Whyatt's estimation was proved correct. The balloon was then, apparently, swiftly removed from the scene.