Earthquake hits north of England as homes left shaking

There have been over 1000 reports.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) reported that late last night, much of Lancashire and the south of Lake District was hit with a 3.3 magnitude earthquake.

The tremor struck at about 23:23 on Wednesday night (3 December), notably being felt in the towns of Kendal and Ulverston which are around 12 miles (19km) from the epicentre just off the coast of Silverdale, Lancashire.

The quake struck at a depth of about 1.86 miles, as per BGS data.

There have been no reports of damage.

Speaking to the BGS, locals described what felt like "an underground explosion" which was "so powerful it shook the whole house".

Emergency services released statements, with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services saying "many residents felt or heard a loud bang" in the Carnforth area.

Police in Lancashire also said it received reports of a "loud explosion" in the area, confirming there had been a "minor earthquake in the area", as per the BBC.

It added: "There have been no reports of anyone injured or damage caused but we have officers in the area, together with colleagues from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service."

One Carnforth local posted on the site: "Heard a rumbling sound which intensified into a loud bang. Thought my roof was collapsing or something! Very scary."

Another local in Silverdale said: "Loud rumble and rattling of fixtures in house, as though something had collapsed or the chimney had fallen off. Significant enough to go outside to check."

Every year the BGS detects around 300 earthquakes, although only about a tenth of these are ever felt or heard by people.

The 1931 Dogger Bank earthquake remains the strongest recorded earthquake in UK history.