Late-night booms near Kemble 'were police exercise'

Two loud booms were heard across north Wiltshire and the Cotswolds just after 22:00 GMT on Tuesday

Late-night loud booms in parts of the Cotswolds which sparked complaints on social media were apparently down to "a high level and very rare police and emergency services exercise".

Residents in Kemble said they heard "explosions" and one woman said her home shook with the force of the noise.

Witnesses said they believed the noises after 22:00 GMT on Tuesday were linked to the nearby Cotswold Airport.

Gloucestershire Police have apologised for the disturbance.

The booms, heard from Kington St Michael to Malmesbury and Calne in Wiltshire. sparked calls to BBC Wiltshire and BBC Radio Gloucestershire as well as dozens of posts on social media.

Writing on Facebook. Sophie Wyatt described "a massive bang and a flash" as she was out near Kemble.

She said she saw "a crowd of people hanging around a lit-up aircraft further into the airbase".

People who heard the booms took to social media to ask if anyone knew what was going on

Nick Howard, Cotswold Airport manager, said the booms were part of "a high level and very rare police and emergency services exercise".

He said he would not comment further "due to the nature of the exercise".

Sophie Wyatt posted she saw people "hanging around a lit-up aircraft" on the airbase as she drove past

Paul Shanley, 51, who lives just outside Kemble village described the booms as "very disturbing - worrying".

"There was an enormous explosion - really deep explosion - it was enough to wake up my daughter," he said.

Mr Shanley, who lives just outside Kemble, said his family had heard similar booms "three times before this but we've never got to the bottom of what it was".

He said when he went outside to look there was "a lot of action going on over at the airfield" but when he rang police asking what was happening he was told "they weren't allowed to talk about it".

Angie Abingdon posted on Facebook: "Our house shook! There were concerned people standing outside after the first. I think we should have been given some warning."

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Police said: "We would like to reassure residents that the explosion heard in Kemble yesterday was part of routine operational training for police.

"We apologise for the disturbance caused."