A HUGE bang from the Fawley Refinery was heard on the Isle of Wight last night (Friday). 

And people living near the huge refinery just the other side of The Solent say they heard sirens and saw plumes of smoke shortly after 8.40pm.

The complex has its own firefighting team, but crews at a nearby fire station were put on alert, such was the concern the loud explosion-like sound had made.

Here's what people said when they took to social media:

Benjamin Thompson said it was more like an explosion than "a noise," the description of the refinery's parent company, ExxonMobil.

It was heard by householders on the Isle of Wight last night, one person said it could be heard in Portsmouth, another said it was felt 13km away in Woodlands and others could hear it in Romsey.

The refinery's owners, petro-chemical heavyweights ExxonMobil, apologised for the noise and the concern it had caused.

On Twitter, the company said: "We identified the cause of the noise — a sudden release from a utilities air line on a unit already shut down for maintenance.

"There was no risk to communities, there have been no injuries and operations are continuing as normal.

"We apologise for the noise that came from our operations and for any concern this may have caused.

"Our operations remain safe and are continuing as normal. Thank you for your understanding."