The earth moved – but not much else

Many people were in bed when the tremor struck just before 11pm on Thursday near Coniston and lasted for as long as a minute. Some rushed out from their homes on to the street after the rude awakening.

The police and fire service received a number of calls from bewildered members of the public who were concerned at the late-night incident in which buildings wobbled.

Several listeners contacted radio stations in the county to say they compared the disruption to the sound of a washing machine. One said: "It was as if the washing machine was spinning with too much in it."

The earthquake was felt across the county and as far away as Lancashire, south-west Scotland, Northumberland and the Isle of Man.

Data from the British Geological Survey (BGS) showed the location of the quake at 2km (1.2 miles) north, north-west of Coniston, with a depth of 14.3km (8.9 miles). The rumble was also recorded by the US Geological Survey.

BGS head of seismology Dr Brian Baptie said: "We get an earthquake of this size somewhere in the UK roughly every 12 to 18 months. Damage is very unlikely.

"An earthquake of this size and depth might be felt up to 80-100km away.

"The earthquake has probably made windows and doors rattle and small objects might have been displaced."

A similar earthquake with a magnitude of 3.7 on the Richter scale shook South Cumbria on April 28 2009.

There were no reports of casualties or damage following last year's mid-morning tremor that originated 5km (three miles) south-east of Ulverston, and which was felt across Cumbria and Lancashire.

Both Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and Cumbria Police said they received calls – but all were to ask what had happened.