Manchester shaken by earthquake

Manchester was rocked by an earthquake today.

The quake, which measured 2.5 on the Richter scale, struck the city centre, Stockport and Didsbury at around 11.50am. There were no reported injuries.

A spokesman for the British Geological Survey said: 'We expect about eight earthquakes of this magnitude each year in the UK.

"The reason it has been felt by more people than usual is that it is quite shallow, about 5km (3.1 miles), and is in a built-up area.

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"It appears to be right in the centre of Manchester, the same location as a series of earthquakes in October

2002."

He said he did not expect any structural damage as a result of the quake, adding: "As earthquakes go it is quite insignificant."

In April, more than 1,500 houses in Folkestone, Kent, were damaged by a tremor measuring 4.3 while a quake with a magnitude of 5.0, with an epicentre in Dudley in the West Midlands, was felt from North Yorkshire to South Wales in September 2002.