Terrifying moment 3.3 magnitude earthquake hits England as 'loud explosion' heard

Residents have now spoken out about the terrifying moment an earthquake hit north-west England last night (3 December), in what felt like an 'explosion'.

The tremor, which measured 3.3 on the richter scale, hit Lancashire and southern parts of the Lake District around 11.23pm yesterday, with the epicentre believed to be just off the coast of Silverdale, according to the British Geographical Survey (BGS).

The organisation said some locals living in the area said the tremo was 'so powerful it shook the whole house'.

According to the Volcano Discovery website, which collects information on earthquakes, more than 1,100 households reported the earthquake, spanning as far as Blackpool. The majority of reports detailed 'light' or 'weak' shaking.

Residents within a 12-mile radius of the epicentre felt the strongest effects of the earthquake, with one woman in Carnforth describing how she thought a car must've driven into her home.

More than 1,100 people reported feeling the effects (Volcano Discovery)

"The shaking woke me up, I thought someone had driven into the house," Katrina Simmon told the BBC.

"It was about 25 to 12 and I jumped straight out of bed. I live on my own so it gave me a hell of a scare. It was only when I went on Facebook this morning I realised it was an earthquake."

A spokesperson for Lancaster Police confirmed reports of a 'loud explosion' at the same time residents felt the earthquake.

"At 11.23pm on Wednesday night, we received reports of a loud explosion in the Carnforth area. There has been a minor earthquake in the area, near to the Lancashire and Cumbria border, measuring 3.3 magnitude," they said in a statement.

"There have been no reports of anyone injured or damage caused but we have officers in the area, together with colleagues from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service. !f you know of any property that has been damaged or potentially, please contact 101 – quoting log 1613 of December 3."

According to BGS, around 300 earthquakes are detected in the UK each year, but only around 10 percent of them are strong enough to be felt or heard by people.

While a 3.3 earthquake is not considered to be strong, it is accepted to be strong enough to almost certainly be felt by people in the area at the time it occurs. An earthquake is considered to be moderate when it hits a 5 on the Richter scale.