Tremor felt across Morecambe Bay after minor earthquake

Thursday, 4 December 2025 05:41

By N Hill

A 3.3–3.4 magnitude quake struck off the coast near the Lancashire–Cumbria border at 11:23 pm, shaking homes from Morecambe to Kendal.

Late on the night of Wednesday 3 December 2025, a minor earthquake rattled the north-west of England, centred off the coast near the Lancashire–Cumbria border. According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), the tremor measured around magnitude 3.3–3.4 and occurred at a shallow depth of approximately 3 km.

The quake struck at around 11:23 pm, near the coastal village of Silverdale. Residents across north Lancashire and South Cumbria — including places such as Morecambe, Kendal and Ulverston — reported their homes shaking, loud bangs and what felt like an “explosion underground.”

Authorities have confirmed there are no reports of injuries or structural damage.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service issued a statement saying its crews, along with police and the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), responded to the incident — though largely fielding “loud bang” calls rather than emergencies.

Meanwhile, Lancaster Area Police confirmed they received multiple reports of a “loud explosion” in the Carnforth area at about the same time — later confirmed by seismic data from the BGS as the minor quake.

One local resident described the sensation:

“At 11.25pm my sofa swayed left to right twice! Thought it was the whisky, but no…went on FB and a friend posted ‘what the ef was that’ — I realised it was an earthquake as recorded by local keepers!!”

The UK typically experiences 200–300 earthquakes annually, though only 20–30 are strong enough to be felt by people. Most are too faint to notice and cause no damage.

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