EXTRAORDINARY stories were tonight being shared of the ‘sonic boom’ heard across Cambridgeshire which was so loud it smashed windows.

Calls to police not only in Cambridgeshire but also to Essex and Hertfordshire revealed the extent of the phenomenon.

Insp Matt Snow of Cambridgeshire Police said: “We’ve had reports of windows being smashed.”

He told the BBC: “One man who rang us from St Ives thought something had hit his roof because the whole house shook.

“It was so loud another person thought his neighbour’s house had blown up.

“People have said they’d never heard anything so loud in their lives.

“Even people driving on the A14 have been calling us.”

Cause of the ‘sonic boom’ has been confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.

Their officials said a Typhoon jet from RAF Coningsby – 40m miles North West of Wisbech- was sent up following communications loss with a Heathrow bound plane.

Happily the plane later landed safely and without incident but in the current climate air traffic officials who reported the incident were taking no chances.

A sonic boom can be created when a plane is approaching that of the speed of sound (768mph). Escaping air to the nose of the plane makes a fearful noise to those below.

Herts Police confirmed the disturbance “has been confirmed by National Air Traffic Control as a ‘sonic boom’ caused by a jet”.

They tweeted that “sonic booms heard over Essex today were caused by military aircraft engaged in routine operations”.

Joanna Simpson took to the Twitter to proclaim that “my parents, in Cambridge heard this today. Wow”.

Elaine Mason, of Great Gransden, Cambridgeshire, told the BBC she was out with her horse and heard the noise.

“I thought it might have been an explosion,” she said. “The horse reacted immediately.”