Is this the first earthquake to hit Birmingham and the West Midlands?

BirminghamWorld takes a look back at the last time a significant earthquake struck the region
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It’s 20 years since a significant earthquake struck the West Midlands.

The last time the the earthquake was significantly bigger than the 2.8 magnitude last night (February 21).

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Shortly before 1am on September 23 2002 a quake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale struck Dudley - and the 20-second tremor was the biggest earthquake to hit Britain in a decade back then.

Emergency services reported that around 600 people dialled 999 and 5,000 more rang the main switchboard in an attempt to discover why their wardrobes were shaking and objects around the house were moving.

Reflecting on last night’s earthquake, we can be thankful that so far there are no reports of any major damage.

Two decades ago it was a different picture.

The Crooked House pub in Himley, DudleyThe Crooked House pub in Himley, Dudley
The Crooked House pub in Himley, Dudley

How did people react to the Dudley earthquake in 2002?

A dozen people fearful of what was unfolding around them walked into the police station in Dudley still dressed in their pyjamas.

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The British Geological Survey (BGS) revealed the epicentre as Brick Kiln Lane in Gornal Wood, which is located just to the west of Dudley town centre.

To put the Dudley quake into perspective, the BGS says it was 100 times larger than last night’s.

Chimneys fell, windows were cracked and chunks of stone crashed down from a church spire in Walsall.

The strength of the quake was significant as it was felt as far away as North Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Aberystwyth.

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Damage elsewhere included a car park cracking in Merseyside and a block of flats being evacuated in Bradford due to safety concerns.

The quake was strong enough to make Liverpool’s famous 450ft Radio City tower shake.

Despite being more than 70 miles away, a presenter at the station, Pete Price, recalled his panic.

He said: “The tower does move from side to side but it actually shook – it trembled.

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“We didn’t know whether to evacuate the building or carry on. I have never really liked going up the tower and, when the show finished, I was just glad to get home.”

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