Meteor ’caused sonic boom’ which rocked Dorset, Somerset and Devon as massive bang is heard for miles

: "I’m from Payhembury and I just heard what sounded like a big explosion.

"It was this big bass-y boom that reverberated for a good 20 seconds or so, followed by a series of popping noises.

"I've checked and people as far as Dorset also heard it."

said car alarms sounded following the boom.

And some said they felt an accompanying shockwave.

A series of tweets from across Somerset and Dorset all said they heard the noise.

One person wrote: "Anyone else hear that sonic boom then? The windows of the house shook."

Another said: "Out for a walk stood on top of a hill in Somerset, huge sonic boom, no sign or noise of a jet. RAF?"

Someone in Dorset added: "Some time after 3pm today I heard what I believed was thunder."

Another person tweeted: "Massive bang over #Dorchester around 20 minutes ago. Any sound nerds know what it is? #Dorset."

Hannah White told Somerset Live: ";We live in Wincanton.

"Today at 2.55pm we heard a very long deep rumble and people are also reporting on Facebook that it was heard as for away as Portland and also Taunton."

Stephen Griffiths of Watchet, Somerset, said: "I was in the greenhouse of my back garden and heard it very loudly.

"I felt the vibration of the boom through the greenhouse floor slabs and my small greenhouse shook."

And Sherri Smith from Somerset posted on Facebook: "Heard and felt the vibrations in Taunton.

"The shed I was in rattled. It felt more like an earthquake as the vibrations carried on for about 15 seconds."

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the force had had reports of "a loud bang" and they were "putting it down to a sonic boom".

However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told the Sun Online the noise was not an RAF aircraft and they were unable to provide any further clues.