North of England hit by earthquake

An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale rumbled across northern England last night. The quake, with an epicentre near Ripon, was felt in North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria just after 9pm.

The tremor is the second to hit England in weeks. Last month the British Geological Survey confirmed that a 3.5-magnitude earthquake took place on 21 December in Coniston in the Lake District.

Richard Lambert, a Cumbria resident, said he initially thought the quake was a helicopter passing overhead. He told Sky News: "I could hear a loud rumbling coming from outside. It got louder and louder – I could hear the glasses in the kitchen rattling."