Quake leaves area shaken, not stirred

by HELEN KREFT and LAURIE DEVITT

BURTON and South Derbyshire residents have been left all shook up by the largest earthquake to hit the UK in 25 years.

The 30-second earth tremor, which struck at around 1am yesterday, measured 5.2 on the Richter scale, waking many residents who reported shaking beds and rattling noises.

The epicentre was placed near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, although the tremors could be felt as far away as Wales, London and Scotland.

No injuries were reported, although Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service received 20 calls, including five reports of damage, while Derbyshire Police received 370 non-emergency calls from across the county, including South Derbyshire, in just one hour - an 88 per cent increase on the number of calls normally expected.

Burton Fire Station reported one call concerning structural damage to a house in Rangemore Street, while West Midlands Ambulance Service received just two calls across the region, both from Birmingham.

Mail reader Beryl Fellows, of Hunter Street, Horninglow, said: "I felt the bed shake and there was a terrific roar outside.

"Something in the street was rattling like mad, but it only lasted a few seconds."

Jean MacDonald, who was staying with her sister in Winshill, said: "Just before 1am, I experienced the whole room shaking.

"I was on a chair with wheels and the whole chair moved and shook. There was also a loud rumble at the same time. It all lasted about 10 seconds.

"It crossed my mind that it was an earthquake as when I lived in New Zealand, I experienced a tremor, but this seemed worse as I was up and about and not in bed. The experience was very scary."

Jessie Geary, 79, of Maple Grove, Stapenhill, said: "It was about 12.50am and I was watching CSI. I went to sit down and my chair moved. Then I heard a rumbling - it really frightened me.

"It was a matter of seconds. I haven't felt anything like that since the Fauld explosion."

Judy Ireland, from Hanbury, said she and her husband had dozed off in front of the television when the quake hit. "We both woke suddenly with the feeling that our chairs were moving underneath us," she said. "And there was a loud rumbling noise, similar to a tractor and trailer passing along the road."

Tremors were also felt in Swadlincote and the surrounding villages.

Jon McEwan, of Aston Drive, Newhall, said: "I was working on my laptop. It took me by surprise as it was quite a good five to eight seconds of shaking. It was as if you were in a car and a good gust of wind was hitting it - it was that rough."

Measham resident Nikki Gupwell, 22, also felt the earthquake from her Orchard Way home.

She said: "I woke up and thought I was imagining what was happening. It wasn't very strong but things were shaking in my room. You don't expect something like that to happen here."

Paulet High School in Stanton Road managed to record its 'most significant earthquake ever' on its new seismometer - equipment used to measure movements in the earth - with the result clearly displayed on the device's printout.