Sonic boom heard in all corners of North Northamptonshire as local residents query the source of the loud bang

A sonic boom was heard in Northamptonshire last night at around 9pm, with reports indicating that it was a Eurofighter Typhoon passing over the county at 40,000ft from an RAF base in Lincolnshire.

The aircraft was reportedly travelling at speeds equivalent to 920 miles per hour, more than 150mph faster than is needed to trigger a sound that can be heard from miles away.

An RAF spokesman said: “The sonic boom heard across parts of England yesterday evening was caused by RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft who were launched from Quick Reaction Alert at RAF Coningsby, the aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons.

"The RAF is responsible for policing UK airspace and would prefer not to cause any disturbance to those on the ground, however, the safety and security of the nation remains paramount and the RAF must continue to robustly secure the UK skies and maintain national security in an unpredictable and dangerous world.”

It had returned to base by 10pm.

Residents in Rushden, Raunds, Earls Barton and Irthlingborough, among others, heard the noise as the plane flew overhead, with many initially believing the sound to be thunder.

Plenty were alerted to the sound from their pets’ response, and others thought they were being broken into.

One Irthlingborough resident said: “We definitely heard it and thought something had fallen over upstairs, no idea it was a sonic boom.”

A sonic boom is the point at which an object surpassed the speed of sound (767 miles per hour), which creates a loud shockwave akin to a thunderclap, due to the air being misplaced as the sound barrier is broken.

They typically clock in at around 110 decibels, around the same as a live rock show, a car horn, or a loud sporting event.