Police in Devon were inundated with calls after a loud bang shook the earth and left people frightened just after 4pm on Thursday.

Police say they initially thought there had been a mini-earthquake, but calls to the British Geological Survey proved that wasn't the case.

The BGS suggested it was more likely to have been the sonic boom caused by a meteor passing through the earth's atmosphere.

A police spokesman said: "We received a number of calls just after 4pm on Thursday from people reporting a loud bang and shaking.

"There were reports of crockery shaking and similar disturbance.

"According to the BGS it is likely to have been caused by a meteor sonic boom."

According to the BBC, doors were blown open at a police station in South Devon.

Sophy in South Devon tweeted: "Did anyone else here the massive bang about an hour ago?...Such a loud bang tho to be heard by everyone in lots of places."

lucy chubb tweeted: "Anyone else hear the massive bang in Newton :/"

Joe Fawcett tweeted: "I swear we just had a mini earthquake??"

Keran Fletcher tweeted: "Either a small earthquake or they're blowing **** up at the quarry."

Robynnn tweeted: "Earthquake tremor things in cornwall!"

Jonty Parsons tweeted: "Anybody with some conclusive evidence on what that bang was?"

Emily tweeted: "Turns out things do happen in the south west. We had a 'sonic boom' earlier"

A meteor is the visible path of an object originating in space passing through the earth's atmosphere.

Objects which survive collision with the earth are meteorites.