Shropshire earthquake: Thuds and shudders felt in 3.8 magnitude tremor

Wem in Shropshire was the epicentre of the earthquake

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake has been recorded in Shropshire.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the tremor happened at a depth of 8km (5 miles), near Wem in the north of the county.

Residents of nearby towns and villages including Shrewsbury, Telford, and High Ercall, contacted the BBC with reports of their homes shaking.

One resident said her legs "turned to jelly" as she felt her bedroom floor shuddering beneath her.

Fire crews in Market Drayton said they also felt the tremor and urged people not to call emergency services unless someone was in danger.

BGS records said the tremor began shortly after 15:30 BST, with the epicentre just south of Market Drayton between the villages of Stanton upon Hine Heath, Weston-under-Redcastle and Hodnet.

Julie Williams lives in Wem and was upstairs when the earthquake hit. She said: "All I heard a thud and a shudder through the bedroom floor."

"I knew straight away what it was, I was just like, get downstairs and get out.

"It shocked me," she said. "My legs went to jelly."

Andy Semourson, who lives in Whitmere, said his whole house creaked and his furniture wobbled.

"It really shook the house," he said. "[I've] never felt one as strong."

Patricia Ford, from Hodnet, was in the kitchen when she felt the thud.

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "It felt like a lorry hitting your house."

Previous earthquakes around the UK:

• The last 3.8 magnitude earthquake was near Grimsby in north-east Lincolnshire, on 9 June 2018

• Dudley in the West Midlands was hit by a 4.7 magnitude in 2002

• In 1996, a 3.4 magnitude quake was recorded less than 10km away from Monday's earthquake in Wem

• Six years earlier in 1990, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit Bishop's Castle, also in Shropshire

Source: BGS

Emergency services said they had not received any callouts to incidents related to the earthquake.

BGS said an earthquake of this magnitude only tends to happen once every three years in the UK.

It added that more than 200 earthquakes are recorded each year in the UK.

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

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland just before 08:00 BST and on Sunday a 2.3 magnitude tremor was felt in Sale, Greater Manchester.