Earthquake in Shropshire: 3.8 magnitude quake near Shrewsbury is UK’s third in 24 hours

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake has been recorded in the centre of Shropshire, the third quake to hit the UK in less than 24 hours.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the earthquake hit just to the east of the town of Wem at a depth of seven kilometres (4.35 miles) at 2.36pm on Monday.

The epicentre was between the villages of Stanton upon Hine Heath, Weston-under-Redcastle and Hodnet.

Was there any damage?

The BGS said it has received reports that people in the region felt the earthquake – though damage is unlikely.

The organisation said in a statement: “We can confirm that a magnitude 3.8 ML earthquake was detected by our sensors at 2.47pm on May 30 2022, approximately 16km north-east of Shrewsbury.

“We have received a number of reports that it was felt by people in the region.

“An earthquake of this size can result in strong shaking within about 10km of the epicentre but damage is unlikely.

“The earthquake may have been felt at distances as far as 100km away.”

People declared “my chair wobbled”, “house felt like it moved from left to right”, “noticeable shaking coming through the floor”, “noticed an odd trembling through my office chair, faint but persisted for about three seconds” and “all the windows rattled,” according to the BGS website.

Company boss Brian Shuttleworth, 38, of Telford, said: “I was having an afternoon nap after working throughout the night and then I felt the bed moving. It was surreal.

“My doors slammed shut and when I stood up I could feel the ground beneath me shaking. It only lasted seconds but it felt like an eternity. It was very frightening.

“I thought the noise was a car crash at first but then I felt everything shaking and knew it must be an earthquake. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service told the PA news agency that they had not yet been called to any reports of incidents related to the quake.

Where did the other two earthquakes take place?

It was the third earthquake with a magnitude of more than two to hit the UK in the last 24 hours.

A 2.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland just before 8am on Monday.

A quake with a magnitude of 2.3 struck in Sale, Greater Manchester, at 8.40pm on Sunday, according to the BGS.

How common are earthquakes in the UK?

The BGS said an area of the UK is struck by an earthquake of this size or greater “roughly every two years”.

The last earthquake of a 3.8 magnitude was near Grimsby on June 9 2018, the organisation said.

It added: “Earthquakes like this one occur because of small movements on faults within the Earth’s crust.”

In February, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit the West Midlands near the town of Walsall, near Birmingham, at a depth of seven kilometres (4.35 miles).