Earthquake hits much of England The biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years has shaken homes across large parts of England. People in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Manchester, the Midlands and Norfolk felt the tremor just before 0100 GMT. An elderly man suffered leg injuries when a chimney collapsed in Wombwell in South Yorkshire, emergency crews said. The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the earthquake was of the magnitude of 5.3 and the epicentre was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. Bev Finnegan, who lives in Market Rasen, said: "I was terrified to be honest. The noise was really, really terrifying... it was so deep and rumbling. "It felt like the roof was going to fall in. There were people coming out in their dressing gowns wondering what it was. It was quite an experience." It's the third earthquake I have felt and by far the strongest Adam Wilson Cotgrave, Nottingham A Lincolnshire police spokeswoman said the force had received dozens of calls from residents but there were no reports of anyone in the county being injured. "There is slight structural damage, cracks and a couple of chimneys damaged. There's nothing serious at present. "Mostly people were distressed by it so there were a large quantity of calls coming in." Speaking on BBC News, Justin Cowell in Gainsborough, said: "It started as a massive shake. "People had come out into the street. It seemed the whole town had woken up." Dr Brian Baptie of the BGS said: "An earthquake of this size, of magnitude five or thereabouts, will occur roughly every ten to 20 years in the UK," he said. 'Rare' quake The BGS recorded an aftershock with a magnitude of 1.8 at about 0400 GMT. The main 10-second quake, which struck at 0056 GMT at a depth of 15.4km (9.6 miles), was the biggest recorded example since one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck north Wales in 1984. Dr Baptie said: "The largest earthquake that we know about that has struck the UK was about 100km off the east coast of England on the Dogger Bank and it had a magnitude of 6.1. "So we can get these kind of moderate to significant earthquakes of this size but they're relatively rare." The West Midlands was hit by an earthquake in 2002 in the Dudley area that reached a magnitude of 5.0 and one measuring 4.3 hit Folkstone in Kent last year. Thousands of people from across England contacted the BBC to described how their homes shook during the tremor. Jemma Harrison, 22, in Bury, Greater Manchester, said: "It was really bad. I was fast asleep and woke up and the room was shaking and there was a loud bang and alarms were going off." 'Like a jelly mould' Natasha Cavey, in Tipton in the West Midlands, said: "All my cupboard doors flew open and the whole house shook, it was unreal. I can't believe it." David in Alrewas in Staffordshire said: "The birds were flying around like it was daylight. "It was quite severe. I experienced the Dudley one and this was more severe. "I went outside to see if the roof had collapsed. I could see the furniture in the room moving, it was like it was on a jelly mould." David Somerset, 41, from Driffield near Beverley in East Yorkshire, said: "I have never felt one as strong as that one before. I was in my sitting room and the grandfather clock was rattling rather violently. "It was very strong, I felt the whole room moving." Ok so who felt it? We felt it all the way over in Cheltenham.. the whole house shook! Really it was just like a train was going by really close, but by the time two of my housemates had finished the story was that I had been flung out of my bed and cracked my head open, another had broken both his legs and half the house was missing!
Don't think I felt it. Think it would have been something that I would have remembered. I heard the birds up though so maybe it was just too minute for us to feel. My family felt it at home though.
omg this is typical!! the 1st earthquake i ever have a chance of experencing! and i sleep like a baby the whole way through it! But if a fly just as much flies into my room, im up like a shot!!
i felt it! funny tho cause i was half asleep and still in 'dream mode' and at 1st i thought it was the wind....then noticed no wind....then i thought there was a monster!looked outside my window...no monster....then i went back to bed. never thought it would be an earthquake lol
An elderly man suffered leg injuries when a chimney collapsed in Wombwell in South Yorkshire, emergency crews said. if the 19yr old guy is old what hope do many of us have yep i felt it
I felt it! Absolutely crapped myself! My dog started whimpering a few seconds before it started and hid behind my sister and then all of a sudden the walls were moving and the pictures were falling off their hooks and it didn't stop for ages! It was quite exciting really.
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