Residents across Fenland were startled by a loud explosion-like noise on the morning of Thursday, October 17, which has since been confirmed as a sonic boom caused by RAF aircraft.
The powerful noise was heard around 8.30am, with reports coming in from towns and villages including Doddington, Wimblington, Benwick, March, and Chatteris. The sonic boom, which rattled windows, set off car alarms, and shook homes, left many residents alarmed.
Local homeowner Paul Wright, who managed to capture a photo of one of the jets responsible for the boom, described the experience: “We thought something was coming through the roof. It sounded like an explosion, and the whole ceiling vibrated! My dogs ran in from the garden terrified.
Other residents shared similar accounts, with some saying the loud noise “set off car alarms” and made their “windows vibrate.”
The Ministry of Defence and local aviation authorities are yet to provide further details, but Norfolk Police later confirmed that the noise was not an explosion, but a sonic boom from RAF aircraft.
Sonic booms occur when jets exceed the speed of sound, creating shockwaves that can be heard over large distances.
