A reader has recently contacted Mysteriousbritian with an account a UFO over Bethnal Green in February 1997. In the account in would appear that it drew the attention of the RAF. Has anyone heard of UFO sighting around this time or location?

Ian, I will scour my sources but I don't seem to recall anything similar.
In March 1997 (most sources say the night between the 24th and the 25th) RAF Tornado F3s supposedly intercepted a UFO. Some say this happened between Sheffield and the Peak District, other near Leeds. As the story goes an air battle ensued, the UFO was damaged and fled into space and a Tornado was so gravely damaged that it was forced to crash-land in reservoir. I've double checked the informations with various aviation database and the RAF hasn't posted a single Tornado loss between 1996 and 2001.
It has been confirmed though that RAF Tornado bombers (either GR1s or brand new GR4s) took part in a nightime exercise over the Peak District that night and sensors in Scotland (yet another Cold War relic) picked up two supersonic booms between Sheffield and Leeds. These booms were later confirmed by local police but they've remained "unexplained". Whatever it was the Tornados or some other aircrafts we'll never know.
I'll try and dig up some useful information and be back later.

This is the account if it helps:

I was walking up Barnet Grove Bethnal Green London E2 in Febuary 1997 at
2.15pm and as i got to Old Bethnal Green Road i heard a lot of speeding aircraft
above, so i looked up and saw 4 fighting jets coming from different directions cross ways and just below them there was a spinning diamond shaped silver
object hovering in the air, i'm not sure how far up though when it was spinning the afternoon sun reflected off it. I turned to see who else saw it and 2 muslim men were looking up at it as well. The whole thing happened for about 2 minutes and as i blinked slowly the object was gone, the jets flew off and i was left unsure and confused.

The only useful reference I have been able to find regards a sighting in February 1999. I have also consulted the Nick Pope archives and he contends that most UFO sightings over London are caused by advertising blimps and balloons...