Shaken! Shepway hit by Earthquake

11.37.02am GMT Sat 28th Apr 2007

The Folkestone area appears to be the most hit by an earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale which shook the area at 8.18am Saturday morning.

Although the tremor was felt through Sandgate, Hythe and as far away as Essex and Suffolk, damage seems to be mainly concentrated in the Foord area of Folkestone, with damage to a large number of houses.

Electricity supplies were disrupted, but were restored to Hythe and Sandgate by 10.30am, and most of Folkestone by 11.15am.

Local resident Maureen Speller was in Linden Crescent at the time the quake hit. She said:

"I was driving down the road when a man came out of his house in front of us, and was shaken to the ground by a tremor. Bricks started falling from the houses - it was quite scary!

"I've been around talking to neighbours in the area, and everyone I've spoken to seems fine - if 'shaken'. There are a lot of emergency services vehicles around, and some areas have a smell of gas."