View 3 Images

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake has hit England's North West, with residents woken by trembling homes and a shake that felt like an 'explosion'.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) c onfirmed the seismic event , with their data showing the quake occurred three kilometres beneath Lancashire at 11.23pm on Wednesday.

According to BGS reports, the earthquake struck off the coast of Silverdale at 11.23pm, at a depth of 1.86 miles (3km). The organisation told Sky News the tremor was experienced "across the South Lakes and Lancashire, mainly within 20 kilometres of the epicentre, including Lancashire, Kendal and Ulverston".

Natural phenomenon and earthquake monitoring website Volcano Discovery also recorded the earthquake, though their reading placed it at 3.4 on the Richter scal

See Full Page