Wales earthquake felt 100 miles away in Birmingham as terrified locals describe shaking walls and houses

25 February 2023, 07:52 | Updated: 25 February 2023, 21:46

A small earthquake was recorded in South Wales just before midnight on Friday, as shocked locals described houses and walls shaking.

Speaking to Sky News, Matt O'Shea, from the Blaenau Gwent area said: "whole house shook for about five seconds", while others said they thought they thought someone had crashed into a wall.

Residents on social media said that initially they were unsure as to what had happened.

Shelly Organ, who was among many locals voicing their shock on social media wrote on Facebook: "Being in Troedyrhiw we honestly thought someone had crashed into a wall so we checked the children were still sleeping and went out to check and there were a few in the street thinking the same."

She added: "It made the house shake a little where it felt like something happened outside, glad it didn't though."

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Another resident from Cwm in Blaenau Gwent told Sky News: "I felt the earthquake and was really concerned. It made our house shake, it was loud and the rumbling from it was clearly felt.

Another local resident said: "We just had an earthquake in South Wales , first one I've ever felt... thought there was someone trying to break into my house."

There were also reports of people feeling the effects of the earthquake some 100 miles away in Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, Merthyr, Somerset and Shropshire.

The furthest away testimony recorded on the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre website was in Nottingham, 193km away.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake had a magnitude of 3.8 and occurred at a depth of two kilometres less than a minute before midnight.

The NGO put the location as 12km north of Rhondda.

Meanwhile, Google's Android Earthquake Alerts System said the tremor was 4.2 magnitude.

The British Geological Survey, which is the UK's main provider of earthquake data, has not yet put out any information.