'Houses shake' as 3.8m earthquake 'rocks' West Midlands

30 May 2022, 17:26 | Updated: 30 May 2022, 18:28

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake has struck Shropshire, with reports of homes "shaking".

The tremor had a magnitude of 3.8, at a depth of 8km (5 miles), just to the east of the town of Wem on Monday, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

It added that it had received reports that people in the region felt the earthquake - though damage was unlikely.

A statement from the organisation said: "We can confirm that a magnitude 3.8 ML earthquake was detected by our sensors at 2.47pm on May 30 2022, approximately 16km north-east of Shrewsbury.

"We have received a number of reports that it was felt by people in the region.

"An earthquake of this size can result in strong shaking within about 10km of the epicentre but damage is unlikely.

"The earthquake may have been felt at distances as far as 100km away."

The epicentre was between the villages of Stanton upon Hine Heath, Weston-under-Redcastle and Hodnet.

People were reporting effects like "my chair wobbled", "house felt like it moved from left to right", "noticeable shaking coming through the floor", "noticed an odd trembling through my office chair, faint but persisted for about three seconds" and "all the windows rattled".

It was the third earthquake with a magnitude of more than two to hit the UK in the last 24 hours.

Read more: Jubilee killjoys threaten street parties in red tape row over 'unauthorised' bunting

Read more: Soaring cost of food revealed as bread and crisps rise and pasta soars by 50%

A homeowner from Shrewsbury described their house "shaking from side to side".

"I was sat on the sofa and the whole room was moving, I’ve never felt an earthquake before," they told Birmingham Live.

"I asked my partner if that was an earthquake and he said it was that or an explosion. It felt like the sofa lifted."

Another local said that they were continuing to feel the impact around an hour later.

"At the age of 50 just experienced my first ever earthquake in North Shropshire, about 3.37pm," they tweeted.

"Lasted 5 to 10 seconds. Whole house shook and dog went mad... no damage as far as I can tell. Felt like a massive lorry thundering past."

It comes after a 2.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland just before 8am on Monday.

A quake with a magnitude of 2.3 also struck in Sale, Greater Manchester, at 8.40pm on Sunday, according to the BGS.

West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said they had not yet been called to any reports of incidents related to the quake.

The BGS said an area of the UK is struck by an earthquake of this size or greater "roughly every two years". The last earthquake of a 3.8 magnitude was near Grimsby on June 9 2018, the organisation said.

It added: "Earthquakes like this one occur because of small movements on faults within the Earth's crust."

In February, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit the West Midlands near the town of Walsall, near Birmingham, at a depth of seven kilometres (4.35 miles).