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‘Remarkable’ pink sky lights up Thanet leaving residents stunned

14:41, 19 October 2023

updated: 21:16, 19 October 2023

Residents in Kent say they felt like it was the end of the world this morning after waking up to see a bright pink sky.

People living in Thanet snapped pictures of the luminous clouds with one woman saying she woke her husband up after being so surprised by what she saw.

Jamie Horton says he was lucky to catch the glow on camera as it disappeared 10 seconds after he snapped a shot in Margate.

“I was sitting in the car as Dad was driving to the railway station and suddenly I saw this pink glow,” he said.

“Luckily the traffic lights were red and having my trusty camera with me at all times I took a couple of shots.

“About 10 seconds later it disappeared so I was fortunate to capture it. It was stunning, truly remarkable. I guessed it was light pollution, but it looked spectacular nonetheless.”

Steve Barnes, owner of Bethany’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe in Westgate, was on his way to work when he saw the bright colours filling the sky just before 6am.

The pink sky in Thanet. Picture: Ginta Bimbirule
The pink sky in Thanet. Picture: Ginta Bimbirule
Jamie Horton said he was lucky to catch a snap of the sky as the pink faded not long after he took a picture. Picture: Jamie Horton
Jamie Horton said he was lucky to catch a snap of the sky as the pink faded not long after he took a picture. Picture: Jamie Horton

“It looked like the end of the world,” he said.

“I took the photo at exactly 5.49am and it was strong for about 20 minutes.”

The apocalyptic appearance of the clouds is believed to be caused by light pollution from plant factory Thanet Earth in Birchington.

Last year the firm told KentOnline that "escaping light" from the facility can create "a spooky, glowing landmark" on nights with low cloud cover.

"We do everything we can to minimise this," they said.

Steve Barnes, who runs Bethany’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe in Westgate, says it looked like the "world was ending". Picture: Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes, who runs Bethany’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe in Westgate, says it looked like the "world was ending". Picture: Steve Barnes
Garlinge resident Aileen McGinley says she was so surprised to see it. Picture: Aileen McGinley
Garlinge resident Aileen McGinley says she was so surprised to see it. Picture: Aileen McGinley

Last November, many compared the sight to the “upside down” in the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things.

Aileen McGinley, who lives in Garlinge, snapped a photo of the view out of her window at 5.45am today.

“I woke my husband up because I thought it was so unusual,” she said.

“I was surprised as I am used to it being an orange glow from the Thanet Earth greenhouses.”

Ginta Bimbirule added: “I wasn’t surprised as I knew from where it was coming from.

“I quickly took a picture and was running to work as I was late already.”

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