A 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck Lancashire and Cumbria late Wednesday night, shaking homes and prompting comparisons to an underground explosion. The epicentre was near the coastal village of Silverdale, with tremors felt up to 30 miles away, including in Blackpool.
Lancashire police reported no injuries or damage, but officers remained in the area alongside fire and ambulance crews. Residents described their houses shaking violently, with one saying it felt like the area 'had been bombed'. Another resident initially feared an explosion at the nearby Heysham nuclear power station in Morecambe.
The British Geological Survey confirmed this was England's strongest earthquake in two years, matching a 3.3-magnitude event in Staffordshire in 2023. It is also the second UK earthquake this month, following a 1.0-magnitude tremor in Newport, south Wales, on Monday. Earthquakes of 3.0 or above are rare in the UK, with only about a tenth of the 200-300 annual seismic incidents being felt.
Sarah, a local pub landlord, said the quake shook glasses behind the bar but caused no breakage. 'Luckily nothing got broken but it was so strange,' she said. 'I've never felt anything like it.' Liz Unsworth, a Silverdale parish councillor, told the BBC the earthquake was 'really scary' and felt as if her house was disintegrating around her.
The Volcano Discovery website received over 1,100 reports from the area, mostly describing 'light' or 'weak' disturbance. Some residents noted dogs panicking and shop alarms being triggered. The last stronger earthquake in north-west England was a 3.7-magnitude tremor in Morecambe Bay in 2009.
