UK rocked by earthquake that 'went off like a bomb'

An earthquake has hit the UK overnight with a magnitude of 3.7.

The quake happened in South Wales but there were reports of tremors as far out as Wolverhampton and Dudley.

The epicentre of the earthquake happened in Brynmawr in Blaenau Gwent.

The epicentre of the earthquake happened in Brynmawr
British Geological Survey

While a lot of residents were asleep and did not notice the quake, others reported the sound of a “large explosion”.

The British Geological Survey said the quake, which had a depth of 2.2 miles, happened at 11.59pm on Friday.

Residents in the area reported the earthquake, with one saying it “went off like a bomb”, others said there was a loud “sonic boom” sound.

The British Geological Survey reported accounts from people who said their “whole house was shaking” and that their bed “seemed to move side to side”.

Jayne Hunt on Twitter said: “Well that woke me up! I thought something had hit our house!”

Rachel Andrews tweeted: “I swear I felt this in Barry. I live on the top floor of a new build and it felt as though something really heavy had landed on my floor somewhere and made my sofa move slightly, enough to make me go and check my hallway”.

The British Geological Survey urged people who felt the tremor to share any information they have.

The British Geological Survey said the quake, which had a depth of 2.2 miles, happened at 11.59pm on Friday.
British Geological Survey

They explained: “Between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected and located in the UK by BGS.

“Between 20 to 30 earthquakes are felt by people each year and a few hundred smaller ones are only recorded by sensitive instruments.

“Most of these are very small and cause no damage. However, some British earthquakes have caused considerable damage, although nothing like the devastation caused by large earthquakes in other parts of the world.