Residents across the Burnham-On-Sea area felt the aftermath of a small earthquake on Saturday.
A tremor in south Wales measuring around 4.4 on the Richter scale occurred at 2.30pm.
Residents in Burnham-On-Sea, Highbridge, Brean, Brent Knoll, Berrow and West Huntspill all reported to Burnham-On-Sea.com feeling it.
One resident, Martin Smith, in Burnham said: “The whole house trembled and shook for several seconds – we knew immediately there had been a small earthquake.”
Another local resident, Malcolm Ashton, reported that the tremor caused his chair to move in Brent Knoll.
Samantha Timms added she “felt it in Westfield Road, Burnham – the house shook, really weird.”
Wendy MacDonald added: “It caused our caravan to shake,” while Susan Capel added that she “thought it was a train.”
But Toni Harper said he was in Burnham-On-Sea Hospital at the time and hadn’t felt a thing, while Caroline Hobson in the town added she “felt left out” after also not feeling the quake.
The earthquake was felt by millions of people across the UK as far away as 200 miles from the epicentre in Cwmllynfell, Wales. It was the strongest in South Wales in more than 100 years.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it received at least five calls about buildings being damaged in Bristol – and attended two to make sure they were safe.
Their spokesperson said: “We have had a half a dozen calls to report the earthquake. We have responded to one in the Bristol area to give advice after concerns about structural damage.”
“We attended the home in the Knowle area and made checks and couldn’t find any damage.”
“We would encourage anyone with similar concerns, particularly if they have issues with subsidence, to contact a structural engineer or their landlord.
Avon and Somerset Police said no injuries or significant damage had been reported.
The British Geological Survey said in a tweet that the magnitude was 4.4 and the epicentre was about 12 miles north-northeast of Swansea, at a depth of about 4.5 miles.
It added: “Events of this magnitude only happen in the UK every 2-3 years.”
It also tweeted: “This is the biggest event in the area since the 5.2 magnitude earthquake in 1906.”
Richard Luckett, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, said: “This is the largest earthquake in mainland UK since the 5.2 magnitude Market Rasen earthquake in 2008.”
The magnitude was first estimated at 4.9, but was later revised to 4.4 by the British Geological Survey.
The largest known UK quake ever recorded was in the North Sea, near the Dogger Bank, in 1931. The 6.1-magnitude earthquake was 60 miles offshore.
