Residents have spoken of their terror as a 3.3-magnitude earthquake shook their homes.
Houses in the North West of England shuddered from side to side late on Wednesday, with fixtures and fittings rattling, locals reported.
Sue Anderson wrote on a Carnforth social media page: “Absolutely shaken to my core. Don’t think I’ll be sleeping tonight, terrified.”
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the earthquake struck shortly after 11.23pm and was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District, including the towns of Kendal and Ulverston, within 12 miles of the epicentre.
Data suggests the quake occurred just off the coast of Silverdale, Lancashire, at a depth of 1.86 miles.
Lynn Snowdon wrote on the local Facebook page for Carnforth, Lancashire: “What the hell was that? House just shaken like a leaf?”
Dozens of locals reported similar experiences, with links posted to details of the tremor on the Volcano Discovery website.
One resident in the village of Over Kellet, Lancashire, said: “It felt like my whole house moved side to side and everything inside just shook, and it was one big thud then the after-shakes seemed to last a bit longer than the first shake and slowly fizzled out. Very scary.”
A resident in the nearby village of Silverdale added: “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.”
A resident of Carnforth said: “Was a very strange feeling for this area. Shaking and rumbling along with a bang. Thought a train had derailed or something as I live near the tracks.”
Lancashire Police said in a statement: “At 11.23pm on Wednesday night, we received reports of a loud explosion in the Carnforth area.
“There has been a minor earthquake in the area, near to the Lancashire and Cumbria border, measuring 3.3 magnitude.
“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.”
Each year, the BGS detects between 200 and 300 earthquakes in the UK, but only around 20 to 30 are strong enough to be felt.
