REGIONAL: Earthquake hits SussexÂ

Residents in the Crawley area reported feeling the tremor of a few seconds just before midday today, with reports still coming in from further afield.

The British Geological Society has confirmed the earthquake as a magnitude 3 tremor that had its epicentre five kilometres below Newdigate in Surrey.

Author Trevor Montague from Bewbush said it was '˜quite frightening'.

He explained: '˜It was a definite very loud tremor and the house shook. '˜You know the feeling when a fast train goes by and everything shudders, it was like that, just very amplified.

'˜Nothing came off my desk, so fairly low scale, I've been here 40 years and I've never had anything like this before.'

Terry Marshall, 77, from Ifield West said he thought he was going mad, until neighbours starting knocking on the door reporting the same thing.

'˜It was quite substantial, the lady next door has just knocked, it had woken up one of her sons,' he said.

Richard Kail, from Milne Close in Bewbush said: '˜I was just sitting watching TV and I felt a kind of shock wave. It was really sudden, just a big bang.' 

Data from the British Geological Society stated the tremor started at 10.53am in Surrey but most reports from the Crawley area say it was felt there around an hour later.

Andrea Hoult, aged 70, from Faygate also felt the quake but was less unnerved.

'˜It was around 11.50am and I was in our apartment when I heard the rumbling,' she said.

'˜I have experienced earthquakes before when I was in Jordan and Kenya so I knew exactly what it was. I was sat doing some hand sewing when I heard the rumbling.

'˜We are close to a train line, airport and road hear but I knew it was not caused by them. 'It only lasted a few seconds but it does cause great excitement.' 

Mrs Hoult didn't hide under a table or stand in a door frame. She said: '˜This is England, I knew it wouldn't be anything more than a rumbling.'  One resident in the Kilnwood Vale area said he'd heard from a colleague in Gatwick who had also felt the shake.