Residents in a York town got a shock when they looked out the window to see a bright red hot air balloon which looked to be coming into land close to the roofs of nearby houses.

The Virgin hot air balloon was seen flying over Haxby this morning (Friday, October 18).

Calvert Close resident Michelle Sorrell filmed this video at 9am which appears to show the balloon close to the roofs of houses.

But she said residents had reported that the balloon landed safely in Oaken Grove.

Michelle told The Press the balloon caused some excitement in her home – especially for her two-year-old granddaughter Hattie, who wanted to be lifted up for a better view.

“I saw it originally skimming over trees in my back garden,” Michelle said. “I grabbed my granddaughter, who I just had at the time, and ran to the front door to watch it just clearing the local houses’ rooftops.”

The Press has contacted Virgin Balloon Flights for more information.