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Earthquake felt across large parts of Britain
Many people reported being woken up by the quake and the tremors could be felt in high-rise buildings in London.
- Agencies
- Published: 08:27 February 27, 2008
London: The biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years has shaken homes across large parts of England.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the earthquake was of the magnitude of 5.3 and the epicentre was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire.
The tremors could be felt by people in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Manchester, the Midlands and Norfolk felt the tremor just before 0100 GMT.
An elderly man suffered leg injuries when a chimney collapsed in Wombwell in South Yorkshire, emergency crews said.
Bev Finnegan, who lives in Market Rasen, said: "I was terrified to be honest. The noise was really, really terrifying... it was so deep and rumbling.
"It felt like the roof was going to fall in. There were people coming out in their dressing gowns wondering what it was. It was quite an experience."
A Lincolnshire police spokeswoman said the force had received dozens of calls from residents but there were no reports of anyone in the county being injured.
"There is slight structural damage, cracks and a couple of chimneys damaged. There's nothing serious at present.
"Mostly people were distressed by it so there were a large quantity of calls coming in."
Dr Brian Baptie of the BGS said: "An earthquake of this size, of magnitude five or thereabouts, will occur roughly every ten to 20 years in the UK," he said.
The BGS recorded an aftershock with a magnitude of 1.8 at about 0400 GMT.
The main 10-second quake, which struck at 0056 GMT at a depth of 15.4km (9.6 miles), was the biggest recorded example since one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck north Wales in 1984.
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