THE discovery of five Earth-sized planets in the Milky Way is believed to be the strongest sign yet that there are aliens out there.

The planets were identified around a distant star in the galaxy and the find raises the possibility of eventually finding another rocky planet where water-based life may exist, scientists say.

While all five of the planets are too close to the sun and therefore too hot for life, the fact they were formed many billions of years ago is leading experts to think Earth-type planets could be more abundant than previously thought.

Nasa's Kepler space telescope discovered the planets, which adds to more than 4,000 potential planets it has found, with 1,013 now confirmed as true planets.

The star the planets orbit around is thought to be 11.2 billion years old, making it the oldest system with Earth-sized planets ever discovered.

Speaking to News.com-au, Daniel Huber from the University of Sydney's School of Physics said the human race had "never seen anything like this".

"One of the big quests over the past few years has been to find out whether planets similar to Earth exist around stars," said Dr Huber.

"Kepler has found a lot of these stars … but what makes this very special is that it's very, very old.

"It all goes back to curiosity about where we came from. The holy grail is discovering finally whether life exists on other planets, whether we are alone, whether other planets like Earth exist, how far away from stars they are, when they started forming."

He said the discovery was similar to our solar system, in that it contained planets orbiting around a Sun-like star.

The discovery suggests that there could be other systems in the galaxy that are more favourable to supporting life.

"We know that planets exist that are that old. We can assume that there might be stars similarly old and they might have planets that are further away that might be habitable," said Dr Huber.

He added that the next goal was to find an Earth-like planet that had a similar year-long orbit around a Sun-like star, meaning it could support human life. 

Grimsby residents have told how they felt the Earth move when an earthquake hit last night.

It happened at 10.25pm on Wednesday and measured 3.8 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was in Oakham, Rutland.

But the British Geological Survey confirmed there were reports of the earthquake being felt in the Grimsby area.

Some users of the Grimsby Telegraph Facebook page reported feeling a rumble.

Brenda Graham said: "I heard like a thud and rumble around 10.20pm and wondered what it was."

Tori Danby added: "I thought I felt something but just passed it off as a lorry going past the house."

Humberside's police helicopter crew has captured pictures of a dramatic skyline over Northern Lincolnshire.

The crew reported how clear skies at Humberside Airport quickly darkened after take off, and the chopper was forced to land again.

They described the dark skies as being "like a scene from The Mummy".

About to fly but quick retreat to the airport due to massive snow shower!!! #0624

— HPO99 (@HPOscar99) January 29, 2015

A Lincolnshire firm's PR stunt which saw them launch a £12,000 diamond into space has been captured on video.

The diamond floated up to the edge of space - around 100,000ft, in a helium balloon as part of the stunt by online diamond retailer 77 Diamonds.com in August 2014.

The plan was for the balloon to pop at the edge of space, where the sky turns dark, sending the sparkler parachuting back down to earth, with the lucky finder allowed to keep the diamond.

But as the gem parachuted back to earth the GPS signal was momentarily lost and the hunt began to find where it had landed.

On December 23, Allan Bell discovered the diamond while walking his dogs in Brattleby, just north of Lincoln.

The footage from the launch has been revealed after the video camera attached to the balloon was repaired and footage recovered.

It shows amazing scenes from the 'ceiling of the world', showing the curvature of the earth as the £12,000 sparkler reached 30,000 metres - around 19 miles up.

Tobias Kormind, co-founder of 77 Diamonds, said: "We were all delighted when we received the call to say someone had found our beautiful diamond as we were beginning to worry it had been lost forever.

"We were extremely excited, but apprehensive, to find out whether or not the GoPro camera had successfully recorded its flight.

"The footage completely exceeded our expectations. It is simply stunning. To see a diamond shining through space is something I thought I would never witness."

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Will you trouser the jackpot from tonight's Mega Friday Euromillions draw?

Players across Europe will be crossing their fingers and hoping to scoop a life-changing amount of money.

The jackpot was won after Tuesday's draw, with a ticket-holder in Belgium scooping a cool £16.2 million.

That means tonight's top prize is an estimated £11 million.

But that is not the only reason to play, as there will also be 10 guaranteed UK winners of £1 million, plus a first class trip around the world, in the UK Millionaire Maker part of the game.

Tickets are on sale until 7.30pm, with the draw set to be made at around 8.30pm.

The UK Millionaire Maker results will then be revealed soon afterwards.

A GRIMSBY man who helped to establish contact with Icelandic traders after the arduous Cod Wars has been remembered as a "loyal and generous friend to many".

Colin Harrison, of Augusta Street, sadly passed away at the age of 76 on Sunday evening after a short battle with illness.

A devoted father and grandfather, Colin enjoyed a successful career on the Grimsby fish docks, working his way up from a position as a cold storage officer, to becoming an "influential figure" in the town's fishing industry, after forming vital ties with traders in Iceland following the Cod Wars.

Born on August 30, 1938 to Edward and Ethel Harrison, Colin attended St James' Choir School in Bargate.

Colin first entered the world of work as an errand boy for Harold Pettit of butchers Pettit and Sons.

At the age of 18, he followed in his father's footsteps by joining the Royal Horse Artillery as part of his National Service.

On his return he began searching for work along the booming fish docks and found employment at H Mudd and Son Ltd.

His qualities were soon realised and he progressed to become cold store manager, before joining the sales team after catching the eye of sales director John Holt.

It was during this time that he met his future wife Christine, who worked in the purchasing department at the company.

They subsequently married in 1963 and had two daughters – Debbie and Jill.

After H Mudd and Son Ltd were taken over by Associated Fisheries, Colin and John formed new company North Wall Fish Ltd.

But after John sadly passed away, Colin decided he needed a change.

A chance meeting with old work colleague Brett Aisthorpe followed and Colin joined him at established fish merchants Quick Fish Ltd.

It was during this period in which Colin was able to build up vital links with traders in Iceland, Norway and France following the Cod Wars, due in no small part to his "integrity and good name".

His daughters Jill Harrison-Frean and Debbie Cartwright paid tribute to their father, describing him as a "loving, loyal and generous man".

Jill said: "He was a true gent and someone who put everyone else before himself. One of his friends said he gave so much but asked for nothing in return and I think that is absolutely true. He was a loyal and generous friend to many."

Debbie added: "He was a good listener and always very honest. He did things by the book. We will miss him and he will leave a big hole in our family.

Current managing director of Grimsby's Seafood Express Steve Fox, who worked with Colin at Quick Fish Ltd, said: "I will remember him for the guy he was – an astute businessman, a great character."

The funeral service will take place at Grimsby Crematorium on Tuesday, February 3, at 9.40am.

GRIMSBY Town have extended Ollie Palmer's loan deal until the end of the season, the club have announced.

The 6'5" frontman, who has impressed since joining on loan from Mansfield, was due to return to the Stags after next weekend's clash at Forest Green Rovers.

However, the Mariners have now agreed to hold on to the popular striker until the end of the campaign.

There is no release clause in the deal. What do you think to the news - how important is the capture of Palmer for the run-in? Share your views using the comment facility below.

See tomorrow's Grimsby Telegraph for full reaction.

A cold weather warning remains in place for North East Lincolnshire with more freezing temperatures forecast for the weekend.

Friday night will see the chance of more wintry showers with a snow covering inland, icy stretches, and more cold winds.

On Saturday temperatures could rise as high as 4 degrees but wintry showers near the coast will become more widespread later on.

So-called thundersnow storms battered large parts of northern Britain yesterday.

Keep checking back for more updates.

AN ASTHMA charity which launched after the tragic death of a nine-year-old Grimsby girl has received a generous cash boost to help support other families and sufferers of the condition.

The Laura McPhee Memorial Fund received a cheque for £1,875 from Total Lindsey Oil Refinery contractors, Jacobs LES Ltd in Armstrong Street, Grimsby.

The money was raised through a charity Christmas raffle and tuck shop, with the proceeds going directly to the company's chosen charity – The Laura McPhee Memorial Fund.

The sum will go towards buying more breathing units and apparatus.

The charity was set up by Laura's parents Trace and Roy after their daughter's tragic death following an asthma attack at the age of nine in December 2010.

With help from family and friends, the fund has raised more than £80,000 for poorly children, and in the past has presented the Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital, where Laura received treatment for asthma, with specialised medical equipment for youngsters.

Trace said the donation from Jacobs LES will go a long way to helping more children.

She said: "The lads have been really good to raise all this money. They have hearts of gold.

"As well as spending the money on buying more breathing units, we will also be looking to use the money to help educate ambulance staff so we can save more babies' and kids' lives.

"There is already some amazing support out there for families but people don't know that they can come to us for help.

"It is all about word of mouth at the moment and we want people to come forward to tell us what breathing units they need."

Eddie Traynor, safety adviser on the refinery for Jacobs LES, said: "We pick a different charity every year and we hold different events to try and raise as much money as possible.

"It's been a real team effort from everyone here at Jacobs LES to the guys on the oil refinery.

"It's a very worthy cause and I'm glad we have raised so much for it."

Matty Powell, lifting co-ordinator at Jacobs LES, played in a charity football match in the summer which helped to raise around £4,000 for the fund.

He said: "It was a great day and now we are hoping to hold one every year.

"There's also whispers of a nude calendar but we're keeping quiet about that one!"

Harry Scott wept in the dock today as he was found guilty of the manslaughter of former Grimsby man Richard Woods.

Scott stood with his head down as the jury foreman delivered the verdict at the end of a three-week trial.

Scott, 23, of Ramsgate, Louth, unlawfully imprisoned Mr Woods in the loft of his home in Spring Terrace by raising the connecting ladder and securing it so that it could not be lowered.

The jury in the trial heard that Mr Woods attempted to climb between two of the ladder steps and became trapped. 

He subsequently died as a result of asphyxiation on January 12 last year.

The jury of five women and seven men retired late yesterday to consider their verdicts..

Judge Stuart Rafferty QC adjourned sentence to a later date to allow for the preparation of probation and psychiatric reports on Scott.

The Judge granted bail to Scott telling him: "I don't know what the sentence on you will be. It may well be that you will go into custody."

During the trial Adrienne Lucking QC, prosecuting, told the jury that Scott unlawfully imprisoned Richard Woods in the loft of Mr Woods' home in Spring Terrace, Louth, by raising the connecting ladder and securing it so that it could not be lowered.

Richard Woods attempted to climb between two of the ladder steps and became trapped. He subsequently died as a result of asphyxiation.

Mrs Lucking described the incident as the culmination of bullying behaviour by Scott towards Richard Woods who the jury was told was a shy and vulnerable man.

See tomorrow's Grimsby Telegraph for more reaction to the case.

THE following people have been sentenced at Grimsby and Cleethorpes Magistrates Court:

Christina Willoughby, 33, of Woad Lane, Great Coates, admitted failing to comply with an antisocial behaviour order on December 7, 2014. She was fined £250 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £25 victims' surcharge.

Harpreet Singh, 27, of Carlton Road, Slough, admitted driving on the A180 with no insurance on January 11, 2015. His licence was endorsed with six penalty points, fined £250 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £25 victims' surcharge.

Michael Spelling, 35, of Dawson Close, London, admitted being drunk and disorderly in High Street, Cleethorpes, on January 11, 2015. He was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Robert Partee, 32, of Vernon Road, Leicester, admitted drink-driving on Cleethorpes Promenade on December 25, 2014. A breath test revealed he had 81mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months, fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Andrew Boswell, 30, of Peaks Lane, Grimsby, admitted breaching a restraining order imposed by Grimsby and Cleethorpes Magistrates' Court on July 20, 2007 and failing to surrender to custody at Grimsby Police Station on January 13, 2015. He was ordered to be under curfew for six weeks to end February 22, 2015, fined £20 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victims' surcharge.

Traffic is flowing again after an earlier fault with traffic lights at a busy junction in Grimsby.

The lights were back up and running by 3.50pm.

A council spokesperson said earlier: "We have a fault with the traffic signals at the junction of Bargate and Weelsby Road – An engineer has had to leave the site to get spare parts.

"Engineer is expected back at 3pm – expect delays."

ONLINE shoppers have hit out after it emerged British users of Amazon Prime pay up to £60 more a year for the service compared to those in other European countries.

Customers using the website are encouraged to take a 30-day trial of the service - which entitles them to free one-day delivery and free movies and ebooks - before they pay £79-a-year to continue.

But it emerged today that Prime members in other countries are paying just a fraction of that price.

It costs just £7.50-a-year in Italy, £11-a-year in Spain, £36 in Germany and France and £41 in Canada. In the US, the service costs £65 annually.

The news come on the same day the firm announced fourth quarter profits of £393million. 

The number of people using the Amazon Prime service rose by more than 50% last year, with three million Britons now signed up.

The premium service offers unlimited free one-day delivery on more than seven million items and access to 500,000 Kindle books to borrow

The cost of Prime in other countries:

1. Britain - £79-a-year

2. United States - £65-a-year

3. Canada - £41-a-year

4. France - £36-a-year

5. Germany - £36-a-year

6. Spain - £11.25-a-year

7. Italy - £7.50

The Humberside Police helicopter has been involved in a search for a vulnerable missing person in Grimsby.

The crew tweeted that they had been involved in the search which was then taken over by ground units.

A force spokesperson said: "We are currently engaged in enquiries following a call received from a member of the public expressing concern for the safety of another."

More to follow.

Area search Grimsby for vulnerable missing person, further to be conducted by ground units #0624

— HPO99 (@HPOscar99) January 30, 2015

THE following people have been dealt with by Grimsby Magistrates for not having a TV licence:

Andrew McPhee, 28, of Sidney Street, Cleethorpes, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Stuart McWilliams, 42, of Chapel Lane, Barton, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

John Morrilly, 34, of Edge Avenue, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Lucy Morris, 24, of Westerdale Way, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Stephen Neal, 43, of Blundell Avenue, Cleethorpes, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Kimberley Parker, 43, of Weelsby Street, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Amy Pearson, 30, of Stanley Street, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Saranne Richardson, 32, of Poplar Road, Cleethorpes, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Naomi Robertson, 31, of Thesiger Walk, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Lonnie Robinson, 30, of Brereton Avenue, Cleethorpes, fined £400 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Katie Sheardown, 28, of Langton Close, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Angela Sims, 40, of Highfield Avenue, Grimsby, fined £45 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Rachel Smith, 28, of Lovett Street, Cleethorpes, fined £500 with £80 costs and a £50 victims' surcharge.

Karen Swinscoe, 45, of Fraser Street, Grimsby, fined £200 with £80 costs and a £20 victims' surcharge.

Darren Tasker, 49, of Harold Street, Grimsby, fined £400 with £80 costs and a £40 victims' surcharge.

OLLIE Palmer has spoken of his delight at extending his loan stay with Grimsby Town until the end of the season.

The 23-year-old has impressed in his five games for the Mariners since joining, but parent club Mansfield have agreed to extend his stay in Cleethorpes until the end of the campaign.

It means the 6'5" striker will be a crucial part of the run-in - and the play-offs should Town qualify.

Watch what he had to say to the Grimsby Telegraph in this video, courtesy of the Mariners.