Hi all,
Fifty houses are so badly damaged after the biggest earthquake to rock Britain in five years that families won't return to them for at least another 24 hours - after thorough structural checks have been carried out.
Picture by Sky News reader Lawrence Arnold in FolkestoneHouseholders as far afield as East Sussex, Essex and Suffolk said they felt the tremor, which measured 4.3 on the Richter scale and disrupted power supplies in southern England.
The British Geological Survey placed the epicentre of the quake 7.5 miles off the Dover coast.
Walls cracked and chimneys toppled onto buildings and pavements in at least four streets in Folkestone.
A 30-year-old woman was taken to hospital with minor head and neck injuries.
Kent deputy chief fire officer Bill Feeley told Sky News: "Miraculously, we've had no more injuries than that."
Kent Fire and Rescue Service was inundated with more than 200 emergency calls.
The US Geological Survey pinpoints the quakeThe incident is the largest recorded in Britain since an earthquake rocked Dudley in the West Midlands in 2002.
Kent Chief Superintendent Alasdair Hope warned people to "be vigilant" and report any suspected gas leaks or structural damage.
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| An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 4.3 has damaged homes and disrupted power supplies in southern England.
Picture by Sky News reader Lawrence Arnold in FolkestoneThe quake struck at 8.18am, with the British Geological Survey placing the epicenter 7.5 miles off the Dover coast. Householders said they felt the tremor as far afield as East Sussex, Essex and Suffolk. |
Fifty houses are so badly damaged after the biggest earthquake to rock Britain in five years that families won't return to them for at least another 24 hours - after thorough structural checks have been carried out.
Picture by Sky News reader Lawrence Arnold in FolkestoneHouseholders as far afield as East Sussex, Essex and Suffolk said they felt the tremor, which measured 4.3 on the Richter scale and disrupted power supplies in southern England.
The British Geological Survey placed the epicentre of the quake 7.5 miles off the Dover coast.
Walls cracked and chimneys toppled onto buildings and pavements in at least four streets in Folkestone.
A 30-year-old woman was taken to hospital with minor head and neck injuries.
Kent deputy chief fire officer Bill Feeley told Sky News: "Miraculously, we've had no more injuries than that."
Kent Fire and Rescue Service was inundated with more than 200 emergency calls.
The US Geological Survey pinpoints the quakeThe incident is the largest recorded in Britain since an earthquake rocked Dudley in the West Midlands in 2002.
Kent Chief Superintendent Alasdair Hope warned people to "be vigilant" and report any suspected gas leaks or structural damage.
