Earthquake hits northern England

The tremor, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale, struck near Ripon, North Yorkshire, at 9.02pm yesterday and was felt more than 50 miles away in West Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear, and Cumbria.

Residents living near the epicentre described hearing household objects rattling and doors shaking on for several seconds, although no injuries or damage to property has been reported.

The tremor followed a quake of magnitude 3.5 which struck in Coniston in the Lake District shortly on December 21.

The British Geological Survey said the tremor struck about six miles west of Ripon.

“People living in the vicinity may have felt their windows rattling as if a lorry was going past.” Dr Aoife O’Mongain, British Geological Survey

“Many people throughout the region have reported having felt this event,” the organisation’s Dr Aoife O’Mongain said.

“It would have only lasted for a couple of seconds. And at that strength it is not likely that it would have caused any damage.

“People living in the vicinity may have felt their windows rattling as if a lorry was going past.”

Inspector Chris Wright of Cumbria Police said the force received two calls from members of the public in the Kendal area reporting a tremor shortly after 9pm.

He said: “There have been no reports of injury or damage so we notified the British Geological Survey for them to investigate.”

Cumbria Fire Service, Lancashire Fire Service and Lancashire Police all said they had not received any calls from the public.

Largest since 1970

This is the largest earthquake detected in the general area since a magnitude 2.8 event on 4 June 1970 in the Pennines.

Other recent quakes in the UK include one in February 2008, when a tremor – which measured 5.2 on the Richter scale – centred on Lincolnshire, shook much of the UK, causing damage to buildings and leaving at least one person injured.

And in Kent in April 2007, another tremor measured 4.3 on the Richter scale.

Homes were damaged as chimneys toppled, walls cracked and masonry fell as the tremor hit Folkestone.

Despite recent devastating earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China, earthquake activity is not increasing.

On average there are about 15 earthquakes every year with a magnitude of 7 or greater and in last year there were six globally.