A Gravesend teacher living in Japan has told of the pain Japan's devastating earthquake has caused his family.

Michael Wenban, son of Gravesham’s deputy mayor Cllr Mick Wenban, lives with his wife and two young sons in Chiba, about 50 miles from Tokyo.

Although they escaped the worst of Friday’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami, they described how their fifth floor apartment swayed dramatically during the initial tremor with belongings falling off walls and shelves indoors.

Cllr Wenban said he first heard about the disaster, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, on the radio at 6.15am on Friday and immediately called his son to check he was safe.

The country remains on high alert to warnings of a second major earthquake in the next few hours, and the death toll is expected to number in the thousands.

Gravesend teacher Michael Wenban speaking about the Japan quake