EARTHQUAKE ROCKS TEESIDE: 2.8 magnitude tremor prompts explosion fears

Towns including Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool felt the earthquake, which measured 2.8 on the Richter scale, with one man saying it felt like a lorry had crashed into his house.

AN earthquake hit the region this morning, at 5.58am people across Teesside were startled by a swift rumbling noise, lasting a matter of seconds.

The 2.8 magnitude quake hit near Alberto Street in Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, according to the United States Geological Survey. On the Richter scale, an earthquake of that size is likely to be felt by some people, but is unlikely to cause damage to any buildings. 

Many took to social media to report the tremour:

One person said that their house was shaken by the incident, adding that it was “bad enough to wake us up”. The United States Geological Survey said that 139 reports on the shake had been received from the public. 

Other people took to twitter to say they were scared about possible gas explosions from the mains supply.