Witnesses were left stunned as a low-flying turboprop soared over the Kent coast.

The American USAF Hercules C-130 aircraft flew very low across the sea in Deal on Friday.

Leela Osborne, from St Margaret’s Bay – who spotted the plane at about 9.30am - said she was really surprised at how quiet it was.

“I was just past the Royal Hotel in Deal and noticed others stopping to look which made me stop running,” she said.

“It was an amazing sight to see but what really surprised me was how quiet this aircraft was. Everyone along the seafront just stopped and watched it.

“It was flying over from Thanet to Deal then returning. I could see it doing loops out into the Channel.”

She managed to capture the moment the aircraft flew over the pier on camera, which shows it gliding over the water and stopping people in their tracks.

Ann Vowles also managed to snap some pictures of the turboprop as it circled back towards Kingsdown.

“We had stopped to look out to sea and suddenly an aircraft appeared in front of us flying very low,” she said.

“It took us by surprise as it was extremely quiet.

“I could not get my phone out quickly enough to get a good photo. I was so happy to see that when the plane reached Kingsdown it turned and came back.

“I was then able to take a few reasonable pictures. My husband did recognise the craft to be a Hercules transport plane.”

She posted her photos on Facebook and several other people commented they had also seen it.

One person said they thought it was an USAF C130 Herculeas based at RAF Mildenhall.

“(It was) doing the same run the F15Es often do from the same place,” they said.

US Public Affairs at Mildenhall have been contacted for comment.