Earthquake measuring 3.8 magnitude rocks Black Country as residents feel homes shake

The British Geological Society confirmed that Wem in Shropshire was the centre of the activity, with a magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter scale and a depth of 8km, but tremors were felt for miles around.

Christine Hall who lives in a flat in Bilston said: "It was about 4pm and I saw the bookcases moving and shaking.

"There was no noise but it was obvious it wasn't just the noise of traffic going past because you could tell by the shaking which was unusual and it lasted for about two minutes before it stopped."

Other residents in Walsall also felt the tremors.

Lauren May from Wednesfield said: "The house shuddered for about two seconds, it felt like a car had gone into the house.

"I’ve got a TV mounted on the wall and it was still shaking for a good 10 seconds afterwards."

Stef Tomes, from Walsall, added: "I was lying on my bed and felt the bed shake. I thought it was a door slamming at first."

In Shropshire, Caroline and Paul Blair, who live in the centre of Whitchurch, said the quake lasted for just a few seconds, but was very noticeable.

"We were sitting watching TV and I heard a noise like a door slamming if you have left two doors open through the house.

"Then we noticed that our TV, which is on a stand, was moving and then the sofa that we were both sitting on just rocked. It was so weird, it was like someone was jumping on it."

Many took to social media to discuss the quake.

Elizabeth in Condover said: "There was a big loud bang then my desk chair was wobbling like it was on a spin cycle."

In Ellesmere, John Shone wondered at first if he was feeling the affects of his recent bout of Covid.

"It was a strange feeling, very wobbly. I remember something similar back in the 1980s when there was a large tremor affecting N Wales and beyond."

There were reports from Prees, Wem, Whixall and Ellesmere as well as Market Drayton and even Telford as well as over the border in Cheshire.

The BGS urged people who felt the earthquake to fill questionnaire on its website to help its scientists in their work.

The quake comes three months after a 2.8 magnitude quake struck parts of the Black Country on February 22.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) reported Andrew Road in West Bromwich, near the M5 and the Walsall border, as the epicentre of the quake, which had a depth of 7km.

The service said the effects of the quake were felt in a 20km radius from its epicentre, with tremors being detected by residents in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley.