Sonic boom causes panic over London after RAF jets scrambled to unresponsive aircraft

People woken as loud explosion causes windows to shake in parts of southeast

A loud bang heard overnight in parts of London and southeast England was a sonic boom caused by RAF fighter jets, police have said.

Two Typhoon planes were scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire shortly after 4am on Sunday to an unresponsive aircraft which had lost communication.

The aircraft caused an explosion-like sound which was heard across parts of the southeast, prompting a “large number” of calls to Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue.

People living in Essex, London, Cambridge and Stevenage were among those tweeting to say they had been woken up by the noise.

An RAF spokeswoman said: “Two Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were scrambled at 4.09am this morning, as part of the UK’s quick reaction alert procedures, after an aircraft lost communications in UK airspace.

“The aircraft was intercepted and its communications were subsequently re-established. The Typhoons are returning to their base.”

London’s Metropolitan Police said: “The loud bang heard throughout north London and surrounding areas was the result of a sonic boom from RAF planes. There is no cause for concern.”

Andrew Holding tweeted video footage capturing the loud bang in Cambridge, where he was woken by the noise.

Kiran Topman also shared a recording from northwest London.

A sonic boom is caused when an aircraft approaches the speed of sound (768mph).

Air pressure, which builds up at the noise of the plane, is forced to escape, creating a “thunderclap” that travels over huge distances in the wake of the jet.