RAF fighter jets scramble to intercept a private plane over London

Residents in Cambridge and London said they heard the huge bang above them, as some people reported the windows of their homes rattling.

The RAF said the aircraft took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and "safely escorted" the civilian aircraft to London Stansted Airport in Essex.

The private plane was diverted by the fighter jets to Stansted Airport near London after its communications were restored.

Once intercepted, the Typhoon will carry out a show of force by firing flares and showing off the missiles locked in their undercarriage.

Cambridge City Council told people not to "panic" as it confirmed the source of the noise on Twitter.

Two RAF Typhoon jets perform a flypast in Belfast to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day last May.

"Sounds like the whole Romford area felt it, whole house shook and you could feel it in the ground", they wrote on Twitter. "Know what's going on?"

"Managed to capture the Cambridge sonic boom (and my deer in the headlights reaction) live on video", said one social media user.

Emma Boswell tweeted: "I was walking through Waltham Abbey when I heard it".

"Sonic boom makes sense, my first thought was that nearby construction collapsed".

Such a military response is standard if air traffic control loses radio contact with a pilot.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a combat aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of air operations, including air policing and high-intensity conflict.