A 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the village of Silverdale in Lancashire late Wednesday night, shaking homes across the region and prompting calls to emergency services. The tremor, which occurred at 11.23pm, was felt up to 30 miles away, including in Blackpool, and was described by residents as feeling like an 'underground explosion'.
Lancashire police reported no injuries or damage, but officers, along with fire and ambulance crews, were deployed to the area. The British Geological Survey (BGS) confirmed this was the strongest earthquake in England since a similar 3.3-magnitude event in Staffordshire in 2023, and the second in the UK this month after a 1.0-magnitude quake in Newport, south Wales, on Monday.
Residents reported houses shaking, with some saying it felt as if the area 'had been bombed'. One person initially suspected an explosion at the nearby Heysham nuclear power station. The Volcano Discovery website received over 1,100 reports, mostly of 'light' or 'weak' disturbance, but some described dogs panicking and shop alarms being triggered.
Sarah, a local pub landlord, said glasses shook behind the bar but nothing broke. Liz Unsworth, a Silverdale parish councillor, told the BBC it was 'really scary' and felt like her house was disintegrating. The BGS noted that earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or above are rare in the UK, with only about two or three occurring annually. Wednesday's event was the strongest in north-west England since a 3.7-magnitude tremor shook Morecambe Bay in 2009.
