People in parts of London and nearby areas were woken in the early hours of this morning by an unexpected sonic boom.
Around 4:15am this morning, social media posts suggested there has been a loud bang or explosion in the region.
On Twitter, people said their houses had been shaken by the bang.
BBC reports the noise was heard across north London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
Met Police tweeted to say they were aware of the reports, but there had been no indication of an explosion.
However, they soon followed up to say the sound was the result of a "sonic boom from RAF [Royal Air Force] planes".
They added there was '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
In a statement, an RAF spokesperson explained that two fighter jets had been deployed due to an unresponsive aircraft.
They said: "Two Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were scrambled at 0409 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."
Sonic booms occur when a plane travels faster than the speed of sound - over 1,235 km/h.
Main image: File photo of RAF Typhoons. Picture by: Ben Birchall/PA Archive/PA Images
