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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Loud bang prompts calls to Leicestershire Police | Loud bang prompts calls to Leicestershire Police |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Many people in Leicester said they had heard the loud bang | Many people in Leicester said they had heard the loud bang |
| A "large explosion" that prompted calls to police is thought to have been caused by a sonic boom from aircraft. | |
| People posted footage on social media show a loud bang with reports across Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. | |
| Leicestershire Police said there was "no concern". | |
| On social media, plane spotters suggested the sound may have come from an RAF Typhoon fighter jet being scrambled to assist another aircraft. | |
| Lee Shellard from Syston, Leicester, said he was watching TV when he heard the bang. | |
| "It shook ornaments and bits around the house," he told the BBC. | |
| "But it wasn't like an earthquake, more like a big lorry had gone past. So we nipped outside to see what had happened and other people were looking out of their windows as well | |
| "That's when I went back and checked the CCTV footage." | |
| 'Airspace closed' | |
| Departures from Gatwick airport were reportedly suspended for 15 minutes earlier. | Departures from Gatwick airport were reportedly suspended for 15 minutes earlier. |
| BBC journalist Phil Mercer tweeted he had been sitting on a plane at the airport after passengers were told "all airspace over London is closed as an aircraft has stopped communicating with air traffic control". | BBC journalist Phil Mercer tweeted he had been sitting on a plane at the airport after passengers were told "all airspace over London is closed as an aircraft has stopped communicating with air traffic control". |
| Luke Springhart, in Oxfordshire, posted: "Random #explosion or #sonicboom in Chipping Norton / Oxfordshire area. Whole place shook. Seems like lots of people around the UK felt it?" | Luke Springhart, in Oxfordshire, posted: "Random #explosion or #sonicboom in Chipping Norton / Oxfordshire area. Whole place shook. Seems like lots of people around the UK felt it?" |
| Rebecca Cockroft added: "Going to assume I didn't imagine the sonic boom over #Northampton a few moments ago judging by the car alarms going off and birds scattering?" | Rebecca Cockroft added: "Going to assume I didn't imagine the sonic boom over #Northampton a few moments ago judging by the car alarms going off and birds scattering?" |
| A spokesman for Leicestershire Police, said: "We have received numerous calls in relation to a large explosion sound heard from various parts of the city and county. | A spokesman for Leicestershire Police, said: "We have received numerous calls in relation to a large explosion sound heard from various parts of the city and county. |
| "We like to reassure you that there is no concern however thank you for your immediate response to us." | "We like to reassure you that there is no concern however thank you for your immediate response to us." |
| Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. | Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Leicestershire Police | Leicestershire Police |
| Leicester | Leicester |