TREMORS were felt in many parts of Kent as the biggest earthquake for nearly 25 years struck the UK early on Wednesday.

People in North Kent reported furniture shaking - although the epicentre was about 180 miles away at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.

Cheryl Austin, of Tonge Road, Sittingbourne, said: "The bed was shaking and it felt as if the wall behind the bed was moving, although I didn't touch it to see.

"I didn't go back to sleep for over an hour. The house was silent so in the end I decided I must have been imagining it - until I woke to hear about the earthquake on the news!"

Nicola Greenwell, from Eccles, near Maidstone, said: "I awoke because the handles on my wardrobe were shaking.

"I lay there for a while puzzled and then looked at my clock and it was 1.03am. I went back to sleep unsure what it was - initially I thought it was a ghost!"

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 5.3. The earthquake which caused widespread damage in the Folkestone area last April was 4.3.

Emergency services across Lincolnshire were inundated with 999 calls. Many homes suffered structural damage but only two people were taken to hospital.

Did you feel the quake in Kent? Let us know at kentonlinenews@thekmgroup.co.uk