A MINOR earthquake struck 17kms under the ground in the Burnley area on Bank Holiday Monday – but nobody in the town said they felt it.

The British Geological Survey recorded the tremor at 9.20pm north east of the town, near Fence.

It measured 1.6 on the Richter scale, and being so small and so far underground it was highly unlikely to have been felt, according to experts.

A spokesman for the police said: “We did not receive any calls on this evening about an earthquake in the Burnley area.”

There have been 11 earthquakes in the UK in the past 50 days, including one in Ambleside, in Cumbria, and one in Hensall, North Yorkshire.