Small earthquake in Bicknacre felt in parts of Essex

An earthquake felt in parts of Essex in the early hours of Thursday has been confirmed by the British Geological Survey (BGS).

The survey said the 2.6 magnitude quake happened in Bicknacre, south east of Chelmsford, at about 05:05 GMT and at a depth of about 8km (4.9 miles).

People from Bicknacre, Runwell and South Woodham Ferrers reported it.

One told the BGS it was "was like an underground train going under our bungalow".

Others told the group they were "awoken by a loud bang and rumble" and the earthquake "felt like a piece of large furniture had fallen over".

David Galloway, a seismologist at the BGS, said the organisation received about 50 notifications from people who heard or felt the earthquake.

Many of the reports came in from people "about 15km (9 miles) from the epicentre", he said.

"Not everyone will have contacted us but I'd categorise this as a small to medium earthquake as it was widely felt."

He said the survey records about 250 earthquakes in the UK every year, "but most go unnoticed".

"But we live on a dynamic planet and movement causes stress in the Earth's plates."

To put the Bicknacre earthquake in context, Mr Galloway said it was "63,000,000 times smaller in terms of energy release" than the earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday.

But the Bicknacre quake did make an impact on a number of Essex residents.

About four miles south of the epicentre, Darren Draper heard the quake in South Woodham Ferrers.

"Just after 05:00 there was a very loud bang - but I didn't really feel any earth shaking or anything," he told BBC Essex.

"It was very strange.

"My son shot out of bed as well and we were just looking at one another, going 'what was that?' - I thought we were getting broken into.

"There were a few other neighbours out in the street, so we all heard it."

David Mountain, who lives in Sandon, about four miles north west of Bicknacre, was also woken by the noise.

"It was a pretty big bang, and it was as if someone had broken through our patio doors - it was a major bang," he said.

He described the experience as "very strange, very loud".

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