Earthquakes in the UK – what was the latest quake in Sussex and Surrey and how many have there been in 2018?

Here's the lowdown on quakes in Britain and the biggest ones to ever hit the UK.

What was the latest quake in Surrey and Sussex?

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck Surrey today.

Loud bangs and rumbles were reported in Epsom, Reigate and Horley, with one man saying it felt like a “truck had hit his house”.

Dozens of terrified residents who live near Gatwick Airport took to social media to say that they felt their "whole house shaking".

Rosie Young tweeted: “Whole block of flats shook! Thank God for #twitter to reassure me it was an earthquake and my flats aren't falling down!!! #Reigate #Surrey”

Large earthquakes are extremely rare in Britain but scientists recently uncovered two fault lines running directly under London.

 How many quakes have hit the UK this year?

There have been 27  earthquakes in the UK since the start of 2019.

But many have been so small they've already even been felt.

What are the largest tremors to hit the UK?

The largest known British earthquake occurred in the North Sea near the Dogger Bank in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1.

It was 60 miles offshore but still powerful enough to cause minor damage to buildings on the east coast of England.

The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884, in which several people were killed and shockwaves were felt as far away as the Houses of Parliament.

Other notable events include the 5.4-magnitude the quake at Lleyn, Wales in 1984.

It was the largest onshore earthquake ever recorded in the UK and had hundreds of aftershocks.

Market Rasen, Lincs  saw a magnitude 5.2 quake in 2008. It was felt as far away as Aberdeen and Ireland.

A 5.1 magnitude quake struck Bishop's Castle, Shrops in 1990, causing some damage.

And a 4.7 magnitute tremor in Dudley, West Mids in 2002 was felt over much of England and Wales.

While hundreds of quakes actually happen here every year, only around 10 are strong enough to be felt at all – and many of these are very minor.

We experience a magnitude 5 – which can damage buildings – roughly every 10–20 years.

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