Locals feared it was the end of the world after sky glows bright pink

The sky above Kent turned a brilliant pink yesterday, leaving some locals questioning if it was ‘the end of the world’.

Residents in Thanet, Kent, were shocked to see the sky turn a glowing pink colour yesterday morning.

Baffled locals took to social media to question the unusual phenomenon, with one person writing: "Thought it was the end of the world, was looking for the four horsemen.”

Another joked: "It’s just Zuul from Ghostbusters."

Jamie Horton, who lives in the area, managed to grab a quick snap of the bight pink sky.

He told Kent Online: “I was sitting in the car as Dad was driving to the railway station and suddenly I saw this pink glow.

“Luckily the traffic lights were red and having my trusty camera with me at all times I took a couple of shots.

Facebook/Dale West

“About 10 seconds later it disappeared so I was fortunate to capture it. It was stunning, truly remarkable. I guessed it was light pollution, but it looked spectacular nonetheless.”

Steve Barnes, who owns Bethany’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe in Westgate, told the publication: “It looked like the end of the world,

“I took the photo at exactly 5.49am and it was strong for about 20 minutes.”

But before anyone panics too much about the End Times, the real reason has been revealed - and it’s a lot more down-to-Earth, you’ll be pleased to know.

According to KentLive, the unusual pink sky is down to an agricultural facility in Birchington, known as Thanet Earth.

Facebook/Amie Covus

Thanet Earth is the largest greenhouse in the UK, measuring a staggering 90-acres.

While during the summer months, the greenhouse gets lots of natural light, when it comes to the darker time of year, artificial lights help give a boost.

And it’s these pink LED growing lights, combined with low cloud coverage, that turns Thanet Earth into a ‘a spooky, glowing landmark’.

A spokesperson from Thanet Earth told KentLive: "As a responsible local business, we constantly monitor the way our business affects the community around us and during certain weather conditions there will inevitably be some light that reflects, particularly when there is low dense cloud cover over the Thanet area.

"We mitigate this light reflection as much as possible by deploying blinds in our glasshouses once the lights are switched on. We continually assess our operations and their impact on the community and the pink LED lights we use here at Thanet Earth have much lower emission levels compared to other types of growing lights."