What was the sonic boom heard across central England?
The mystery over what caused a reported sonic boom across central England appears to have been solved.
The sound was initially reported by people around Leicestershire, with later reports across Northamptonshire and by people in Banbury and Oxford.
The loud bang led to a swift reaction on social media as people speculated about the cause, including whether it was a jet breaking the sound barrier.
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The mystery over what caused the sonic boom appears to have been solved
Twitter user Dr Jon Sutton said: “Massive boom heard over a wide area of Leicestershire. Aircraft, or meteor?”
Naomi tweeted: “Anyone in Leicester know what the hell that massive explosion was?? It shook our house and the birds are going crazy.”
Another user wrote: “Very loud boom in Leicester about 15 mins ago. Felt the air shake – cats scared and ran indoors. Very unnerving – what the hell was it?”
However, Essex police tweeted an explanation, which said: “A flight has been diverted to Stansted Airport after communications with the pilot had been lost.
“The plane, which had been flying from Iceland to Nairobi via Southend was escorted to the airport by RAF jets and landed shortly before 12.50pm today (Saturday 4 March). Two people – a pilot and co-pilot – were on board.”
After questioning, officers were satisfied the loss of contact due to an equipment malfunction and “nothing of any concern”.
“The plane and those on board have now been released to continue their journey,” the statement added.
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An MoD spokesperson added: “Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coninsgby offered assistance to a civilian aircraft and were authorised to fly supersonic.”
A sonic boom is caused when planes fly faster than the speed of sound, which at ground level is around 761mph.
When travelling at this speed, also known as Mach 1, the aircraft displaces the air and creates pressure waves that become compressed and then released in a shock wave.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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