Earth tremor felt across York and North Yorkshire

The tremor, which measured 5.3 on the Richter scale and had an epicentre 15 miles north of Lincoln, happened at 12.56am.

Sources said that the night shift at Nestlé Rowntree factory in York had felt the building shake during the quake.

Callers also reported buildings shaking violently in Tang Hall and Clifton in the city, with a woman from Rawdon Avenue, in Tang Hall, saying: "It was really scary."

North Yorkshire Police said they received 60-70 emergency 999 calls from across the county in an hour, mostly from people seeking reassurance.

Inspector Simon Lovell said the force received another 600 non-emergency calls, with other residents ringing the fire and ambulance services. "There fortunately appears to have been no injuries," he said.

However, the county fire and rescue service said crews had been sent out to a property in York Street, Selby, where a chimney breast had collapsed, and to another property in Wooler Street, Scarborough, following reports of cracking to walls and ceilings.

Insp Lovell said: "All our officers have been carrying out reassurance patrols, and checking there is no sign of any damage."

The Press newsroom was inundated by callers who had been woken by their homes shaking, and asking whether there had been a tremor or even whether a bomb had gone off. Some said they had been scared by the experience.

Terence Shorte, who lives in the luxury Westgate flats in Leeman Road, said: "The whole building was rolling backwards and forwards, and from side to side."

Crystal Antink, an American living in Micklegate, York, said she had experienced earthquakes in the past in California and knew straight away what had happened.

She said that while the tremor was not as bad as the quakes she had been through in America, she had still had concerns about the brick building she was in. "They don't have brick buildings over there."

Keith Chapman, who lives in the Nunnery Lane area, said he had been woken by his house shaking, and wondered whether it had been a tremor or an explosion.

Dawn Arundel, from Sowerby Road, Acomb, said: "I was fast asleep and woke up with the bed and the room shaking. My husband said: "Did you feel that? What the hell was it?"

A caller from Haxby said that his whole house had shaken, and a number of burglar alarms had been set off.

Press design editor Lisa Cook, who lives in the Hull Road area, said: "I was woken by my wardrobe banging violently. I thought at first I was having a weird dream."

David Abram, a farmer from between Westow and Leavening, near Malton, said he had just come in from seeing to the sheep, as it was the lambing season, and he had been going to the toilet when the tremor struck. "The toilet moved - it had a bit of a wobble. I wondered if I had had too strong a curry!"

Coun Nigel Ayre, a City of York Councillor, contacted the paper to say there had been some kind of earth tremor in the Heworth Without area that he represents.

'5.3 on Richter
Scale'

A notice on the earthquake reporting service of the British Geological Survey stated it had hit 5.3 on the Richter Scale. saying:

"Earthquake, 27 February 2008, 00:56 UTC
PRELIMINARY LOCATION 22 km SW of Grimsby/8 km East of Market Rasen
PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE 5.3 ML"

The US Geological Survey recorded the earthquake at the same time but stated a slightly more modest reading of 4.7 on the Richter Scale.

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph.

The moment magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally reported, or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas
Large earthquakes occur less frequently in the United Kingdom. It has been calculated the average recurrences are:

an earthquake of 3.7 - 4.6 every year

an earthquake of 4.7 - 5.5 every ten years

an earthquake of 5.6 or larger every 100 years.

Scores of people contacted The Press to share their experience of the earthquake

Andrew Whitney, in York, said: "It was really strange, the whole house shook, it woke me up. Afterwards there were crooked paintings hanging on my walls, some ornaments still in situ very close to the edge of their shelves and scarily my crystal chandelier still swinging violently."

Audrey Spence, in Bramham Road, Acomb, York, emailed to say: "It is 1.10am 27 Feb 2008 - did other parts of York suffer an earth tremor at l.02am to-day? We did on Bramham Road, Acomb - people came out of houses opposite and the wardrobes in our bedrooms rattled.It was quite eerie!

Mrs A Thacker, in Woothorpe, York, said: "We've just had what felt like an earth tremor, at approx 12.58am. Me and my husband were downstairs and the whole house shook. We wondered if it was the wind, but when my husband went outside there was no wind and when I went upstairs my daughter said her whole bedroom had shaken, including the furniture. It only lasted a few seconds, but I wondered if anywhere else in York had experienced it. We live in the Woodthorpe area."

Andrew Oliver, in Acomb, York, said: "At 00:59 this morning I'm sure I felt the earth move. It felt like a tremor. It was strong enough to throw items from our book case. Did you get any other reports of this or is my house about to fall into a hole?"

Paul Botting, in Wheldrake, emailed to say: "Hi News Desk. It's 12.58am and I'm in Wheldrake. I have just felt the whole house shake. It went on for several seconds and woke the whole house up. It sounded quite loud. Do you know if we have had a minor earthquake in the York area?"

Dominic Gibbon, of Redgrave Close, York, said: "My wife and I have just been woken up by an earthquake shaking the house. The room was shaking so much it woke us up and it was making the dresser handles rattle. Has anyone else reported a similar experience? It must have been an earthquake because we can't find any other explanation!"

Chris McDonough, in Gate Helmsley, said: "We felt an earth tremor lasting around 5-7 seconds. It seemed to come in two bursts, I first thought it was a heavy vehicle passing the house as we live right on the A166. The whole house shook, it was quite scary!!!!! We also run the local pub and rang them to see if it was more than just our house shaking and they confirmed they felt it too."

Jason, in York, said: "I thought I heard someone running up the stairs then all of a sudden the pictures in the multi clip frame started to shimmer then the heavier photo frame started to move then all of a sudden the whole building swayed left to right as I was looking towards the doorway."

Catherine Major, in Brishopthorpe, said: "I was standing in my front room talking to my husband when the doors started to rattle and shake. I felt the floor underneath my feet vibrate to such an extent that I had to put my hand out to steady myself. The wind outside sounded vicious. My husband was sitting on the settee and he said he felt it move'. I actually put my hand out to steady myself and asked my husband what was happening. He said he thought it may have been a small earthquake or tremor. It lasted for about ten seconds."