A loud, mystery bang has been heard over Sevenoaks this afternoon and a jumbo jet has has been circling overhead.

The aircraft, British Airways 747 flying from London to Dubai, was seen flying with its wheels down after the "loud bang".

British Airways confirmed the flight had to be returned to Heathrow Airport aiport after a problem retracting the undercarriage after take-off but said this had nothing to do with the loud noise.

A spokesperson said: "The aircraft landed safely back at Heathrow after a technical problem.

"We're sorry for the delay to our customer's journey who will soon be on another aircraft and on their way to Dubai."

Eye-witness Tony Southgate said the plane had its under-carriage down when approaching the airport.

The flight turned around and landed in Heathrow less than an hour into the flight.

The loud bang heard by Kent residents remains a mystery, British Airways said its operations team was in contact with the pilot the entire time and no bang was reported.

They added: "Trying to retract wheels shouldn’t cause a bang either."

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said the organisation had not been informed of any incident.

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