Earthquake rocks homes in northwest England

A 3.3 magnitude earthquake struck northwest England near Silverdale, shaking homes and startling residents late Wednesday night.

sarah

Dec 4, 2025 - 19:24

Earthquake rocks homes in northwest England

The British Geological Survey (BGS) reported that a 3.3 magnitude earthquake struck northwest England on Wednesday night, shaking homes.

Nikki Maddox, who runs the Blossom Bird coffee shop in Silverdale, said she felt her roof collapse when the tremors began.

"I had just climbed into bed when I heard a huge rumble. It shook the whole house, it was very, very scary," she said.

Ms. Maddox, who lives above the shop with her son, said the earthquake lasted about 20 seconds and the noise was "very loud."

She said, "It lasted so long that I thought, 'Oh no, the roof is falling in, this is going to be very costly.'"

"We were about two floors up, and the movement and noise coming from the ground was incredible. It was terrifying.

"It was deafening. My bed was against the wall, and I could feel the wall shaking." Silverdale Parish Councillor Liz Unsworth said she felt as if her house was "crumbling" around her.

"It was really scary," she said.

"I was relaxing before bed and suddenly I felt my roof falling in, the house shaking."

"All my neighbours were outside, we didn't know what was happening [at the time]."

'Extremely scared'

Katrina Simmons, who lives in Carnforth, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) from the suspected epicenter, said she was woken by shaking during the night.

"I was woken by the shaking, I thought someone had driven into the house," she said.

The Spar shop assistant added, "It was about 12:25 and I jumped straight out of bed. I live alone so I was really scared."

"I only realised it was an earthquake when I went on Facebook this morning." "A customer said all the emergency services were on standby at Aldi this morning, and they thought there might have been an explosion. Someone said they heard a helicopter circling."

Data showed the quake struck at a depth of 1.86 miles near the coast of Silverdale. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said "many people felt or heard a loud bang" in the Carnforth area.

Lancaster Police also said they received reports of "a loud bang" in the area.

Ms Simmons' colleague, Claire Hales, from North Lancaster, said the force of the tremor set off the store's alarms.

"I know the general manager received a call around midnight because it set off the alarms," she said. "Customers have been talking about it all morning. They thought a lorry had hit a building or there was an explosion in a mine. No one expected it to be an earthquake."

Lancashire Police said that "a small magnitude 3.3 earthquake had struck the area, near the Lancashire and Cumbria border."

It added: "There are no reports of injuries or damage, but our officers are in the area, along with colleagues from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service."

The Volcano Discovery website said it had received more than 1,000 reports of the earthquake, some from as far away as Blackpool.

A resident in Carnforth posted on the site: "Heard a rumbling sound that turned into a loud bang. Thought my roof was falling in or something! Very scary."

Another in Silverdale posted: "Loud rattling and rattling of fixtures in the house, as if something had fallen or the chimney had collapsed." So strong I had to go outside to check."

The BGS detects around 300 earthquakes in the UK each year, but only about a tenth of these are felt or heard by people.