A series of loud explosions have been heard across a huge swathe of Kent this afternoon from a Ministry of Defence testing site.

Buildings shook and windows rattled during what is believed to have been weapons testing at the Shoeburyness range in Essex.

Residents across Sheppey, Whitstable, Herne Bay and Canterbury heard three loud blasts at about 3.10pm.

People took to social networks to report the explosions, which could also be heard further into the county.

Whitstable office worker Penelope Kidman said: "We heard three or four loud rumbles that were a couple of seconds apart.

"At first, we thought a car had crashed into the building. The windows rattled and the office shook slightly. I've never heard it that loud before."

John Crockford, of Kent Avenue, Minster, said his front door shook and he thought at first the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery had exploded.

The "Monty" sank off the Kent coast in August 1944, packed with munitions headed to Normandy to support then Allied war effort.

The Shoeburyness base across the Thames Estuary is operated by QinetiQ and provides tests and training services on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.