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Loud bang prompts calls to Leicestershire Police | Loud bang prompts calls to Leicestershire Police |
(31 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 loud bang that prompted calls to police is thought to have been caused by a sonic boom from aircraft. | |
People using social media show the bang was reported Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. | |
Leicestershire Police said there was "no concern". | Leicestershire Police said there was "no concern". |
Plane spotters suggested the sound may have come from an RAF Typhoon fighter jet being scrambled to assist another aircraft. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been contacted for comment. | |
Lee Shellard from Syston, Leicester, said he was watching TV when he heard the bang. | 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. | "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 | "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." | "That's when I went back and checked the CCTV footage." |
'Airspace closed' | '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". |
BBC East Midlands reporter Will Jefford in Daventry, said he thought his boiler had exploded. | |
"The whole house shook and we jumped out of the sofa to check if everything was okay," he said. | |
"You could feel the noise through the floorboards. It almost hit you in the chest - I managed to drop half my cup of tea. | |
"We initially thought the boiler had blown up, but I could hear a jet overhead so realised it was probably a sonic boom." | |
Louise Gourlay in Bicester, Oxfordshire, said her military training kicked in and hit the floor when she heard the bang. | |
"I'm ex-military, so I immediately 'jumped on my belt buckle' that's a move where I jumped straight down stomach to the floor," she said. | |
"I didn't know if it was an explosion or something, the house shook violently." | |
'Low boom' | |
Anne Marie Oostveen near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, told the BBC her "whole house shook". | |
"I was watching TV with my cat Jones and I heard a loud boom sound. | |
"There is some building work going on nearby so at first I just thought there was a skip being delivered to the yard next door. | |
"But the videos online make it sound like an explosion, to me it sounded like a low boom. | |
"My cat just looked up and then went back to sleep." | |
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." |
What is a sonic boom? | |
A sonic boom is caused when planes fly faster than the speed of sound, which at ground level is around 761mph. | |
When travelling at this speed, also known as Mach 1, the aircraft displaces the air and creates pressure waves that become compressed and are then released in a shock wave. | |
As long as the aircraft is flying at Mach 1 it will generate continuous sound waves, known as a boom carpet. | |
An aircraft flying at 20,000 feet would create a sonic boom cone 20 miles wide. | |
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 |