RESIDENTS reported hearing a loud military jet over the area late last night, Tuesday.

A Eurofighter Typhoon was spotted and heard over the north west at around 9pm

The Royal Air Force aircraft took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire at around 8.30pm.

It headed north over Humberside and Yorkshire, before travelling west towards the North West.

It flew over St Helens at around 5,000ft, before looping over Wirral, Runcorn, Widnes and Warrington.

After some manoeuvres over Yorkshire, it returned to Lincolnshire.

The Eurofighter Typhoon was one of at least four in UK airspace last night, with the jet capable of speeds of up to 1,380 miles per hour, or Mach 1.8.

When asked, a Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that the aircraft was in the area for a routine training exercise.

One resident reported hearing the ‘very loud’ jet, while another said: “I was wondering what it was. It scared the life out of me. Thank God I wasn't asleep.”