Total overreaction.
As a former Traffic Control and Safety Officer (post RAF) on that stretch of the A1, I'll lay odd's that it was a HGV tyre blowing out.
They go with a BIG bang.
Years ago, manning a Landrover with an ARC 52, we 'controlled' the Vulcans destined for burning into RAF Catterick. Short runway, Vulcans on fuel mins, max braking. The odd 'bang' from a tyre exploding certainly 'rattled' the locals.