Expecting Triffids Any Day Now

Local news had this recently:

'Meteor' caused mystery explosion
A chief scientist claims a loud bang on the north Cornwall and Devon border was caused by a large meteor exploding. David Carcary from the West Cornwall Astronomical Society said a meteor had created the sonic boom before burning up after it entered the atmosphere. He said the lack of any seismological signals indicates it burned up before it hit the ground. Residents in the Bude and Holsworthy areas had reported hearing a loud bang around midday on Thursday. One resident in Bude said a crack in her kitchen had widened as a result, while others reported experiencing their properties "shaking". Checks carried out by Western Power and the British Geological Survey in the area were inconclusive and the Ministry of Defence, the RAF and the Civil Aviation Authority said there were no records of their aircraft flying over the area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6096208.stm

Er - isn't that pretty much the start of any John Wyndham book? Think I'd better load the blunderbuss, just in case...