BBC News this morning is saying that there were tremors lasting about 10 seconds at 8.15am in Kent, probably focused just north of Ashford. No injuries reported, but looks just like a minor earthquake. Power is out and phone lines are down, and police are dismissing rumours that it was an explosion (although there are reports of a bang just before the tremors). Kent police just said there has been some structural damage, but I don't know to what extent.

My in-laws are in Dover, which the BBC says was affected, and though I'm sure they're just fine I'm still worrying myself sick!

Just a quick update to say that the earthquake has been measured at 5.0 on the Richter Scale: http://www.emsc-csem.org/index.php?page=home

This quote from the BBC News website cracked me up though:
Another Folkestone man told BBC Five Live Breakfast that his whole house "shook quite violently".

Paul Smye-Rumsby, who lives in Dover, said: "It was about 08.15 when suddenly the bed shook violently.

"I thought my wife had got cramp or something but then I saw the curtains were moving and the whole house was shaking."

Shut up! Really??? My in laws live in Kent.... M.

LOL

Where are your in-laws located? We have the all-clear from his mum, who happened to be in Milton Keynes (insert joke here) last night and had no clue about the earthquake, but still nothing from his dad who doesn't have a mobile. I assume he's just fine but until I hear otherwise...

Interestingly, the US authorities are saying it was a 4.7 quake but the European seismologists have it at 5.0. People in Norfolk and Suffolk are saying they felt it. I was busy making cheese sandwiches for Bruce's lunchbag at the time of the quake and felt nada up here in North London.

I was just gonna ring em...I'm sure they're fine, but just to be sure..they live in Gillingham. Funny, I didn't know they got quakes there at all! Anyway, sorry too...the SHUT UP! is a leftover habit of mine from the 80s! but yeah...I just saw it on BBC. Crazy! M.

Tee hee -- I say it all the time too. Totally annoys my vaguely anti-American PA. Also when I say "totally"!

Apparently the UK has more Tornadoes than anywhere in the world too, just so happens that the majority of them are too tiny to do any damage.

Glad there were no fatalities anyway, Kent is a lovely place.

I've been in an earthquake before and I heard a really loud noise and thought it was my neighbors being annoying again before I felt the quake. When I realized it wasn't them I thought oh sh!t. Happy to hear there is no one severely hurt. Quakes are never fun!

I just phoned my parents who live on the Kent/East Sussex border, about 20 miles from Folkestone. They haven't watched the news all day, so were shocked when I told them there was an earthquake!

My mum said she was sitting up reading in bed and the bed shook, the mirror moved and the curtains moved like a window was open! She thought a big lorry had gone past

Then she asked my dad if he had heard about it, he said no, but he thought he felt the ground move, just didn't mention it to her cos she'd think he was nuts!

I love my parents!!

They sound so english, what?! an earthquake?! here, in england? CRAZY talk

Glad that everyone seems to be ok though.

Aww bless 'em, they sound like great people.

Uncle Trevor said it was about 40 miles from them....said he didn't even know about it. Glad it doesn't seem to have really been a huge deal...when you first posted that I was all "whaaaaaaaaaa oh NO! huh??? yipes!"

I was a bit shocked when I heard about it on the radio this morning.

I was in a minor one here (UK) when I was in my teens, and thought I was just hung over and still had the spinning rooms lol

The way Sky News has been covering it reminds me of the way the Northridge quake was covered in the US...and that was a heueueueuge quake. I guess it was a slow news day.

Glad nobody was seriously injured.

We heard from Bruce's Dad -- all fine! He had no idea it even happened, even though he was in the basement of the house, where you'd expect to feel tremors!

Yup, slooooooow news day...

If it had happened last week I'd have said the earth tremors were something to do with a certain TracyTN and Chas.

OMG... Did the DAH's ex-wife fall over?

No, but apparently some chimney pots and dustbins did.

Here's some pictures of the "aftermath"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6603499.stm


P.S. Is it just me or after being over here, do UK number plates look HUGE to anyone else? (last but 1 pic). I've noticed this before when I go back, they always look so clear and big.

Hahahah, that's nuffink! York looked worse after last bonfire night.



Yeah...they're huge and boring, but easier to read than US license plates.

I was there!!!


I did not think that when I left LA to come to England for a week I would experience such an earthquake


bunch of chimneys fell over, lost power for a bit, no big whoop.