Residents have been startled by a series of loud bangs this afternoon.

Some people in Herne Bay even reported being woken up by the explosions.

Bosses at Shoeburyness Range have confirmed "explosions may be noticed in the vicinity of the Thames estuary".

One Twitter user said they had heard three loud bangs at about 2pm.

And another said "that series of bangs woke us up in Herne Bay" at a similar time.

People have also reported hearing explosions in Chatham this afternoon - but it is not known if that is linked.

The range in Shoeburyness, Essex, is operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and is used to test new weapons, and dispose of old ammunition.

The explosions are so loud that questions have previously been raised whether the noise and vibration could have been connected to a cliff collapse on Sheppey.

MP Gordon Henderson asked if investigations had taken place into whether there was any possible connection between the activity at the firing range and the erosion.

But the MoD said noise and vibration from the testing were monitored regularly.

"There is a comprehensive noise management process in place and noise arising from the facility is limited to a maximum of 125 decibels (dB), as recorded at several off-site monitors," a spokesman said.

"This limit is considerably lower than the maximum exposure limit of 140dB for peak sound pressure, as set out in the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

"It is, however, possible that on occasion prevailing weather conditions can affect where and how the activity is perceived."

Read more: All the latest news from Herne Bay