Boom Or Bust?

Who heard a huge boom rip through the air today?  

At 12.12 pm a massive bang shook Leicestershire with people thinking it was a lorry crash at a quarry or a tremor. 

It is believed to have been a sonic boom caused by a military jet. 

A sonic boom is caused when planes fly faster than the speed of sound, which at ground level is about 761mph (1,225km/h). 

When travelling at this speed, also known as Mach 1, the aircraft displaces the air and creates pressure waves that become compressed and are then released in a shock wave. 

People in Leicestershire houses, patios and windows shaking and plane spotters speculated it was a RAF Typhoon fighter jet scrambling to intercept another jet in trouble. 

 The RAF’s Airbus Voyager, the air force’s only in-flight refueling plane, was being tracked by at least 1,440 people on Flightradar24 – a site that tracks aircraft in real time. 

Leicestershire police tweeted: “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.”