Asteroid heading for Britain and it could kill thousands, experts warn

WARING: Asteroid could crash into the North Sea killing thousands of Brits [GETTY•STAR ART DESK]

It's the biggest asteroid warning to hit the UK.
Space boffins at the University of Southampton say they've developed sophisticated software that can predict when and where asteroids could hit earth.
And whilst the UK isn't likely to get a direct hit, experts are warning a giant space rock could smash into the North Sea or Atlantic Ocean, causing a devastating tsunami.
Huge areas of the UK coast would be swamped by colossal waves and thousands of Brits could lose their lives.

In a stark warning the team at Southampton say there's a chance an asteroid could hit the coast of Norfolk within the next 85 years.
Clemens Rumpf who developed the new software is hoping it will help countries decide whether to evacuate areas before disaster strikes.
And, like the famous Armageddon movie, it could be used by nations to send spaceships to intercept the deadly rocks.

  WARNING: Nations could send spaceships to intercept the deadly rocks [PH]

“When you look at global vulnerability Britain is at very high risk”

Dr Hugh Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, at the University of Southampton

Speaking to the Telegraph, Rumpf said: “We have discovered around 13,000 asteroids and around 500 of them have a chance of hitting Earth,
“We can now calculate where they could impact and the damage that would be caused so that we could get evacuation plans in order.”
“When an asteroid strikes one of the biggest problems is a tsunami. Britain is an island with lots of coastline, and lots of people living there so it is a risk.”
The team has produced an in-depth map showing all the possible astroid strikes and Europe is at high risk of a collision.
Dr Hugh Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, at the University of Southampton, said: “It’s very easy to be flippant because of the Hollywood effect but it is a real risk.
“When you look at global vulnerability Britain is at very high risk. You might think that is odd because we are a very small country but we have a high population density on the coastline so that means we are vulnerable to an impact in the Atlantic Ocean.