Sonic boom wakes thousands of residents, shakes houses, as RAF jets scramble to intercept unresponsive aircraft near London

Jenny Awford
The Sun
Sun, 01 Dec 2019 12:57 UTC

THOUSANDS across London and the Home Counties were woken by a "massive bang" today which was caused by a sonic boom.

Brits based in Cambridge, Hertfordshire and across North London reported hearing what they initially believed to be an explosion.

But Met Police has since confirmed the noise, which rattled residents at around 4.20am, was caused by a sonic boom from fighter jets.

RAF Typhoon fighters were scrambled to intercept a Boeing 767-300 after the plane "lost communication".

Comment: The plane was apparently coming from Tel Aviv:

A spokesman for Met Police added: "There is no cause for concern."

Police had earlier confirmed they were looking into the "reports of a loud bang" - but were not aware of an explosion.

Hertfordshire Fire Control added they are "currently receiving a large number of calls" from across the whole of the county "regarding a large explosion sound".

Concerned Brits have taken to social media to reveal how the vibrations from the bang shook their homes.

Zoe Freeman tweeted: "Explosion 10 minutes ago. Sonic boom? Seems to be heard over East Herts and London..."

Shelby Loasby said: "Woke up around 4.18 to what felt like an explosion.

"A loud bang and a vibration that shook our block of flats. Looks like people across Herts and London felt/heard it too?"

Andrew Holding said: "Nice to get woken up by a #sonicboom in Cambridge ..."

What is a sonic boom?

A sonic boom is the noise created by the shock waves created when a flying object travels faster than the speed of sound.

It can sound like a loud explosion or thunderclap and can cause minor damage to buildings and wake sleeping people.

The speed of sound, known as Mach 1 for aircraft, is approximately 767mph at sea level.

The noise of a sonic boom isn't heard in all directions from the object and isn't only heard at the moment the object crosses the speed of sound.

The boom is a continuous effect that is created while the vehicle is travelling at supersonic speeds.

Comment: Heavy.com reports:

A similar situation occurred in June 2019, when military aircraft caused loud bangs that were heard across Essex, as BBC reported. The noise sparked lots of emergency calls, according to police. Residents reported feeling their houses shake after the sound was heard in Harlow, Epping, Chelmsford and Stansted. The sound was due to two RAF Typhoon jets escorting a Jet2 flight to land because a 25-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and endangering an aircraft, according to the publication. The situation also led to minor flight delays for other flights.

The sonic boom heard across north London follows the terrorist attack at Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge the day before. The attack left two dead and three injured, according to Heavy.

See also:

• Convenient London Bridge Terrorist Attack Occurs Two Weeks Before General Election: UPDATES
• Stabbing attack injures 3 minors on busy shopping street in the Hague - 'No indication of terrorism' say media
• Hostage rescued after "assailant" with axe storms game hall in Buchholz, Germany
• Bomb scare: Paris' Gare Du Nord railway station evacuation

The MoD later confirmed: