3.3-magnitude quake ‘shakes homes and wakes people up’ in North West England
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A 3.3-magnitude earthquake has struck Lancashire – with dozens of people saying it shook their homes or woke them up.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said it was “felt across the South Lakes and Lancashire, mainly within 20km of the epicentre”, including Kendal and Ulverston in neighbouring Cumbria.
Preliminary data suggests it struck off the coast of Silverdale at 11.23pm, at a depth of 1.86 miles (3km).
Each year, between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected and located in the UK by the BGS.
Between 20 and 30 earthquakes are felt by people each year, and a few hundred smaller ones are only recorded by sensitive instruments.
Most of these are very small and cause no damage.
According to the BGS, the most recent earthquake to measure over 3.3 was recorded on 20 October near Loch Lyon in Perth and Kinross. The 3.7-magnitude quake was one of a series of tremors registered over a number of days.
Meanwhile, Lancashire has suffered a series of tremors in the past as a result of fracking, including a 2.1-magnitude tremor at Cuadrilla’s site near Blackpool in 2019, prompting a fracking ban in England.
