Earthquake felt across northern England as residents describe underground rumble and shaking homes

Thousands of people in the north-east of England said they felt their homes shake on Saturday night, as British seismologists confirmed the region had been hit by a minor earthquake.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, an online monitoring service, said the cause was a 3.9 magnitude quake close to Grimsby, affecting an area of more than three million inhabitants.

The British Geological Survey confirmed the reports, saying it happened at a depth of 18km.

Social media lit up as residents of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire described their experiences.

People as far away as Birmingham and Swindon reported feeling the effects.

They described a rumble of about three to five seconds at about 11.15pm.

There were no reports of injuries although the Grimsby Telegraph quoted a resident of Great Coats saying: "Made my budgie fall off his perch."

Although damage is rare, the UK is hit by as many 20 quakes a year that are strong enough for people to feel.

The same area was rocked in 2008 by a 5.2 magnitude quake which had its epicentre just 30 miles Hull.

In 2015, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake was felt across Kent.

And last year another minor tremor was recorded off the Yorkshire coast.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded in the UK happened in June 1931 in Dogger Bank in the North Sea with a magnitude of 6.1. The epicentre was safely 60 miles off the Yorkshire coast drastically reducing the amount of damage.