A loud explosion has been heard across central England, after RAF fighter jets responding to an emergency appeared to cause a sonic boom.
Residents in Leicestershire said they felt the sound shake after the loud noise was hear this afternoon, with one person even saying the big bang "rocked their house".
While Leicester appears to have been the centre of impact, residents as far as Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire also admitted to hearing the noise.
One person took to social media to say: "Massive boom heard over a wide area of Leicestershire. Aircraft, or meteor?"
Another added: "Anyone in Leicester know what the hell that massive explosion was?? It shook our house and the birds are going crazy."
A third described the noise as "very unnerving" and that they "felt the air shake".
The noise appeared to be a sonic boom caused by a fighter jet scrambling to assist a plane experiencing radio failure on its way to London.
Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby to intercept a Dash 8 aircraft.
A sonic boom is caused by the shock wave from object travelling faster than the speed of sound.
Following numerous police reports after the loud noise, Leicestershire police said there was "no concern".
The constabulary said in a statement: "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."
The Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were deployed this afternoon
PA
In a statement of its own, Northamptonshire police said: "Police and fire services in Northamptonshire have received numerous calls in relation to a large explosion sound heard from various parts of the county.
"We would like to reassure people there is no concern, but thank you for contacting us."
The Ministry of Defence is yet to comment on the incident.
