earthquake
Off the chart: graph shows the force of the earthquake in the Bristol Channel British Geographical Survey

An underwater earthquake has rumbled parts of south west England and Wales.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said a 4.1-magnitude earthquake centred five kilometres below the Bristol Channel struck at about 1.21pm with reverberations being felt between North Devon and South Wales.

The ground is reported to have shook for approximately 10 seconds and is thought to be the first to hit the region in more than a decade.

The BGS said: "The epicentre of this earthquake was approximately 18 km north of Ilfracombe in North Devon and around 30 km southwest of Swnasea in South Wales. The earthquake was widely felt in North Devon and South Wales."

The Richter Scale describes earthquakes between 4.0 and 4.9 as: "Noticeable shaking of indoor objects and rattling noises. Felt by most people in the affected area. Slightly felt outside. Generally causes none to minimal damage. Moderate to significant damage very unlikely. Some objects may fall off shelves or be knocked over."

The BGS confirmed on Twitter that tremours had been felt across the region:

The UK's largest ever earthquake happened in People took to Twitter to say they had felt the ground shake and also make light of the quake:

Earthquake