Everyone is saying the same thing about the beam of light seen in Nottinghamshire sky

A beam of light that could be seen lighting up the sky from areas of Nottinghamshire is thought to have been the Diwali rainbow in Leicester.

Likened to the 'Bat signal' at the time, the spectacle was said to have been visible from around the Upper Saxondale, Tollerton and Saxondale areas at around 6pm on Thursday evening (November 4).

One eyewitness pictured the light from near Saxondale, but knew nothing of its origin.

However, numerous social media users have said it was in fact coming from the Diwali lights switch-on event in Leicester.

One Facebook user commented: "It was the Diwali lights from Leicester they said it could be seen as far as 40 miles away - sorry no Alien invasion or Batman."

Diwali rainbow lights pictured overhead a fire garden in Leicester (PA)

Another claimed it could be "seen 60 miles away".

Diwali is a religious festival is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains worldwide.

"We saw it last night and tonight," said one user. "It was coming from Thurmaston/Leicester area. Presumed it was something to do with Diwali."

One simply stated: "Diwali rainbow laser in Leicester."

To read all the biggest and best stories first sign up to read our newsletters here.