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A British Airways flight to Dubai was forced to return to London Heathrow Airport this afternoon after the jumbo jet's undercarriage wheels failed to fully retract following take-off.

Witnesses on the ground near Biggin Hill in south-east London reported hearing a 'loud bang' as the Boeing 747-400, carrying 274 passengers and 16 crew, flew overhead shortly after 1pm.

For more than 30 minutes, the plane circled with its wheels down over south-east London and Kent and it reportedly dumped fuel before it was cleared to land at Heathrow.

Tony Southgate says he heard a 'loud bang' as the British Airways plane flew overhead

The plane was forced to circle over south London and Kent with its wheels down until it was cleared to land

 This radar map shows the Boeing 747-400's flight path as it circled over south-east London and Kent

A BA spokesperson told MailOnline Travel that the flight crew did not declare an emergency and the plane landed without incident despite the issue with its wheels.

The spokesperson said: 'The pilot couldn't retract the undercarriage take-off, and decided to return to Heathrow to get the problem fixed sooner rather later.

'The aircraft landed safely back at Heathrow after a technical problem.

'We're sorry for the delay to our customers' journey who will soon be on another aircraft and on their way to Dubai.' 

A spokeswoman said the pilot consulted engineers while the plane was in the air and they instructed him to turn around.

The spokeswoman said passengers and crew were 'happy and relaxed' following the incident.

People on the ground reported a 'loud bang' as the plane flew overhead in south-east London (file photo)

Witness Tony Southgate said he was at home near Biggin Hill when he heard a loud bang.

He told MailOnline Travel: 'I heard this low rumbling boom and my dog jumped up and I looked outside the windows.

'I saw this plane that was leaving (London) turn around and circle back.

The plane flew in triangle formations over south-east London and Kent for more than 30 minutes

Tony Southgate said he heard a 'big bang' before he spotted the plane circling with its wheels down

'The two could be completely unrelated but a few of my neighbours heard it as well.'

Mr Southgate managed to snap a photo of the plane as it flew overhead in a holding pattern.

He said: 'It was very unusual because when they circle normally the wheels are up.

'It seemed to be flying perfectly normal. It was a bit lower than they normally are in the loop, but it seemed to be perfectly fine.' 

Passenger Richard King sent a tweet expressing his frustration over the delay

Passenger James Dempsey informed his followers that the plane experienced a landing gear problem

The BA spokesperson said the crew didn't hear a bang while the plane was in the air, adding: 'Trying to retract wheels doesn't cause any kind of bang noise.'

Flight BA107 was met by emergency crews when it returned to Terminal 5, and some of its passengers vented their frustration on Twitter.

Passenger Richard King tweeted: 'Just took off from Heathrow for Dubai but landing gear issues so dumping fuel mid-air and returning with emergency crews on standby.'

Another passenger, James Dempsey, tweeted: 'Just had a lovely 1hr flight from Heathrow to Heathrow on board the new style BA 747-400 with fixed landing gear.'

The Civil Aviation Authority is awaiting information from British Airways about the incident.