It has been confirmed that Royal Air Force Typhoons approaching the speed of light were the reason for a sonic boom heard across London last night.

The loud noise woke up Londoners at around 4:20 GMT time, with houses shaking and reports of police sirens being heard soon after. 

Editor’s Picks:

• London Bridge shut down “after gunfire” 
• The Brothers of Grime
• Greta Thunberg – the 16-year-old activist, now author of the year
• How historically accurate is The Crown?

26 year-old, Louisa Swinson from Putney told Voice of London “I woke up around 4am to a loud bang, and thought someone had broken into our house by throwing a brick through the garden doors. But then when I didn’t hear anything else just went back to sleep.”

The sonic boom was also heard across parts of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

A spokesperson from the RAF said: “Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby were scrambled this morning, as part of the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) procedures, after an aircraft lost communications in UK airspace”.

It was also confirmed that the Typhoons returned back to the base after reaching the aircraft which had lost communication.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted to assure the public there is “no cause for concern.”

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.

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 1, 2019

 

Words By: Eleanor Dalton