It's nearly time for Santa and his reindeer to begin their annual tour of the country.

Santa will take to the skies on a whistle-stop trip around the UK, and eagle-eyed Congleton residents may even be able to spot him themselves!

Well, it may not quite be the real Santa, but the International Space Station will be visible over Congleton a number of times over the Christmas period.

It will appear as a bright dot shooting through the sky, so you can tell the kids that it is Father Christmas himself.

If the weather is good, 'Santa' should be as visible as a shooting star or brightly lit, fast-moving plane.

The optimum viewing time is usually within a couple of hours of sunrise or sunset when the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky.

There are plenty of opportunities to spot him this year, but you'll need to be an early bird and catch him first thing in the morning.

One of the best chances is at 7:03am on Christmas Day, when he will be visible for a full four minutes.

For a full guide on how to spot the space station, visit Nasa's Spot The Station website here.

Fun facts about the International Space Station

The International Space Station is a Nasa research facility and the largest man-made object in the sky.

It orbits our planet every 91 minutes.

At 357ft end to end, it's almost as long as a football field and weighs 925lb, the equivalent of 320 cars.

The space station draws its power from an acre of solar panels and has a crew of six astronauts living there.

It moves at four-and-a-half miles per second, or 17,500 miles per hour, at an altitude of more than 200 miles above the earth.