Earthquake hits Shropshire in the early hours

Residents in Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Newport and Willaston may have felt the tremors, which started at about 1.49am.

It was the second earthquake of the year for the county, which was hit by a less serious 1.6 magnitude quake on January 1.

In February 2018, the effects of a 4.4 magnitude earthquake were felt in Shropshire and Mid Wales – despite the epicentre being 100 miles away near Swansea.

On that occasion Dyfed-Powys Police had to issue a statement saying they were aware of the tremors and that there was nothing to worry about.