RESIDENTS said the ground "shook" as an extremely loud noise rumbled over the skies of County Durham, Darlington and Teesside.

At around 5.35pm on Tuesday (April 12), residents in Darlington heard the deafening roar of a low-flying aircraft making its way north across the region.

Barely minutes later, people in County Durham also reported a loud and unusual noise as it tore above them, prompting immediate concern on social media.

Read more: Dramatic scenes in North East skies prompt people to think it's 'Independence Day'

Taking to Twitter, one person said they felt the ground shake beneath them as the aircraft, describing it as "disturbing."

The Northern Echo: An F15 similar to what was flying over the region Picture: NORTHERN ECHOAn F15 similar to what was flying over the region Picture: NORTHERN ECHO

Lynne Gumbleton said: "Made the ground shake but couldn't see any aircraft. Very disturbing #Darlington."

Another reported seeing low flying aircraft "circling" the region and flying at altitudes not normally seen above our skies.

Others described being taken by surprise by the loud noise as others said they spotted several military jets flying fairly low.

But the source of the noise over County Durham and Darlington has now been clarified as officials confirmed a US Air Force F15 was making its way from RAF Mildenhall.

The Suffolk base, which is some 220 miles from Darlington, is mainly used by the US Air Force and sees aircraft take part in live operations and routine exercises.

On FlightRadar24, an F15 in the area was registered at an altitude of around 1,700 ft as it appeared to travel over the North East and the North Sea before turning back on itself.

It comes as increased military activity over the region has been spotted in recent weeks.

On March 25, a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III was spotted above Sacriston, County Durham and Teesside Airport by eagle-eyed photographers.

Many believed that the plane was destined for Ukraine to deliver aid to the war-torn country as others enquired whether it was a military training exercise over the UK.

However, the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) clarified the plane had travelled up from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to conduct training exercises.

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