After 30 years of investigating and researching everything from ghosts to UFOs, the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) has been recognised as a professional body by the UK government.

The charity made the announcement at its 30th anniversary conference on 10 September, advising that no negotiation with the HMRC, which decides which organisations can be listed as professional bodies, was necessary. Recognition is undertaken by the HMRC because of tax implications in becoming a professional body.

While ASSAP conceded that the move does not mean that the government has a new view on paranormal activity, it did mean that the work of investigators could be considered as 'professional'.

"The general recognition of investigation of anomalous phenomena as capable of being a professional activity is good news for the vast majority of investigators," said the body in a statement released to its members ahead of a consultation on the move.

The ASSAP trains around 70 people per year and receives dozens of reports of paranormal activity annually, although most of the research is obtained by its members which work independently, said the umbrella body's chairman, Dave Wood.

The work of ASSAP members is easily compared to that of FBI investigators Mulder and Scully from the 1990s television show The X-Files. Investigators research paranormal activity from telepathy, teleportation and UFOs, to ghosts, poltergeists and fish falling from the sky, and the umbrella body collates reports and research for educational purposes via its website.

A gallery of paranormal images is available online, as is a series of case reports.