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Earthquake - tell us your experiences
4:12pm Wednesday 27th February 2008
Comments (117) Have your say »
PEOPLE from across East Lancashire have told the Lancashire Telegraph how their homes shook during the tremor this morning.
Joyce Gallagher, 64, of Swan Farm Close, Lower Darwen, said: "I was terrified to be honest.
LET US KNOW
Did the earth move for you this morning? Add your comments below.
"The noise was really, really terrifying. It was so deep and rumbling, I knew that it wasn't a simple thunder storm.
"It felt like the house was going to fall down around me.
"All my cupboard doors flew open and the whole house shook, it was unreal.
"I can't believe it. It was quite an experience."
Lesley Swan, 54, of Kipling Place, Great Harwood, said: "I was sat on the bed talking to my wife Rita when we felt this huge shudder.
"If the bed had have been on castors it would have slid right across the room.
"We both looked at one another and said 'what on earth was that'.
"I've felt an earthquake before but nothing on that scale."
David Culshaw, of Bath Street, Nelson, said: "It was really bad.
"I was fast asleep and woke up and the room was shaking.
"It knocked me out of bed. There was a loud bang and alarms were going off.
"I have an African Grey parrot and she was going mad flapping around."
Paul Dunleary, 32, of Great Harwood said: "At first I thought that a car had hit the house but I looked outside and couldn't see a problem.
"When I woke up again in the morning I thought I must have dreamt it. I don't remember ever experiencing anything like it before."
Janet Lowry, 47, Queen's Park, Blackburn, said: "The earthquake woke me up but at first I just thought it was my daughter jumping on the bed.
"It didn't even enter my mind that it could be an earthquake."
George Hobkirk, 68, Roe Lee, Blackburn, said: "I have been having problems with my guttering and as the earthquake started I thought it was just high winds blowing off my gutters.
"I soon realised it was an earthquake and it's the first time I've ever been involved in one."
Catherine Haworth, 17, from Haslingden, said: "I only felt it a little bit.
"I was still awake and I was getting loads of phone calls.
"I don't think it was as bad in Rossendale as it was elsewhere but it was really weird.
Leontia Jopson, 17, from Haslingden, said: "It woke me up and I was really surprised.
"You just don't think there will be an earthquake."
Rebecca Stewart-Quigley, 25, who works in Blackburn town centre, said: "It didn't wake me up and I can't believe what's been on the news and what everyone is saying.
"I've always been a heavy sleeper though."
Sylvia Holgate, 71, of Fulledge, Burnley, said: "It certainly didn't wake me up - but my daughter rang me after it because she lives on her own and was a bit frightened.
"I am a light sleeper and usually hear anything like this."
Her sister Marion McGree, originally from Burnley but now living in Melbourne, Australia, is used to extreme weather conditions.
She said: "I just thought it was a strong wind because we got them quite a bit back home.
"The windows rattle and the doors rattled and then it went quiet."
Mark Ellis, 36, and his son Cory, aged four, from the Briercliffe Road area of Burnley, remained oblivious.
Mark said: "I didn't feel it myself but I heard all about it this morning.
"I just slept right through and didn't hear a thing."
Jessica Herrett, 22, from Ightenhill, said: "It was about one am when I woke up and I thought it was my partner who was shaking because he sometimes taps his legs.
"But he woke up and the windows started rattling so I thought it was strange.
"My dad thought it was a ghost!"
Sue Dean, 51, of Cliviger, near Burnley, said: "It woke me up when the wardrobe started shaking but it didn't stir my husband."
Robert Ingham, 64, from Burnley, added: "I've not heard a thing about it until just now.
"But we get earthquakes all the time - little ones - and we don't know anything about it.
"But I didn't feel anything last night."
Pub landlord Tim Pye said he was getting ready to lock up and go to bed when he felt the building shake.
The Royal Oak landlord in Pleckgate, Blackburn, said: "I was sat down having a coffee when the whole building started shaking.
"It only lasted between five and 10 seconds but it was actually quite frightening.
"It was like a heavy wagon had rumbled past.
"The building is about 300 years old. We have a resident ghost called George who often sits in the corner and things start swinging of their own accord.
"But I knew it wasn't the ghost this time and thought it must have been a tremor."
Dilawar Hussain, owner of the Nile takeaway in Preston New Road, Blackburn, said: "The lads were getting ready to close the takeaway when the earthquake struck.
"I'm usually working but I was at home in bed and it woke me up.
"It was really bad, I wondered what on earth was going on.
"I'm just glad to hear nobody was injured."
Your Say YourTelegraph
Amanda, Blackburn says...
1:08pm Tue 4 Mar 08
oo, blackburn says...
11:50pm Mon 3 Mar 08
LET EDITOR-IN-CHEIF, third rock from the sun says...
5:48pm Mon 3 Mar 08
yipeeeeeeee, third rock from the sun says...
5:46pm Mon 3 Mar 08
hettylee, Darwen says...
4:26pm Thu 28 Feb 08
dazed, darwen says...
12:18pm Thu 28 Feb 08
jcb, Darwen says...
11:11am Thu 28 Feb 08
Not your fault?
Suffered trauma by being woken before your usual time of 1.00pm?
We can help. Contact earthquakes are us solicitors.
You get 100% of the compensation!
Don't delay, ring today!!
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN, Flying Circus says...
10:54am Thu 28 Feb 08
Ian the Beancounter wrote:And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN wrote: Earthquake ? Earthquake ? In my day we could only dream of earthquakes. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt. Dont talk to me about earthquakes, you lucky lucky b*stards.Luxury!!! We had to get up half an hour before we went t' bed, lick t'septic tank clean wi' tongue, eat t' tail of a dead rat, then go t' work down t'pit for 25 hours a day. And, when we got 'ome, if we were lucky, Dad would tear us arms off and feed 'em t'pigs. Now, that were proper childhood!! :-))
tickled, says...
9:32am Thu 28 Feb 08
Luksi wrote:hilarious! really put a smile on my face.
An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit Blackburn in the early hours of Wednesday. Victims were seen wandering around aimlessly, muttering "Fooockinell". The tremor decimated the area causing approximately £30 worth of damage. Several priceless collections of mementos from Majorca and the Costa del Sol were damaged beyond repair. Three areas of historic burnt out cars were disturbed. Many locals were woken well before their giros arrived.
Rock FM 974 reported that hundreds of residents were confused and bewildered and were still trying to come to terms with the fact that something interesting had happened in Blackburn. One resident - Tracy Sharon Smith, a 15-year-old mother of 5 said, "It was such a shock, my little Chardonnay-Mercedes come running into my bedroom crying. My youngest two, Tyler-Morgan and Victoria-Storm slept through it all. I was still shaking when I was skinning up and watching Jeremy Kyle the next morning."
Apparently looting, muggings and car crime were unaffected and carried on as normal. The British Red Cross has so far managed to ship 4,000 crates of Sunny Delight to the area to help the stricken locals.
Rescue workers are still searching through the rubble and have found large quantities of personal belongings, including benefit books, jewellery from Elizabeth Duke at Argos and Bone China from Poundland.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
This appeal is to raise money for food and clothing parcels for those unfortunate enough to be caught up in this disaster.
Clothing is most sought after - items most needed include:
Fila or Burberry baseball caps
Kappa tracksuit tops (his and hers)
Shell suits (female)
White sport socks
Rockport boots and any other items usually sold in Primark and TJ Hughes.
Food parcels may be harder to come by, but are needed all the same.
Required foodstuffs include:
Microwave meals, Tins of baked beans, Ice cream, Cans of Colt 45 or Special Brew.
22p buys a biro for filling in the compensation forms.
£2 buys chips, crisps and blue fizzy drinks for a family of 9.
£5 buys B&H and a lighter to calm the nerves of those affected
Ian the Beancounter, Darwen says...
9:24am Thu 28 Feb 08
Luksi, Blackburn / London says...
9:21am Thu 28 Feb 08
Rock FM 974 reported that hundreds of residents were confused and bewildered and were still trying to come to terms with the fact that something interesting had happened in Blackburn. One resident - Tracy Sharon Smith, a 15-year-old mother of 5 said, "It was such a shock, my little Chardonnay-Mercedes come running into my bedroom crying. My youngest two, Tyler-Morgan and Victoria-Storm slept through it all. I was still shaking when I was skinning up and watching Jeremy Kyle the next morning."
Apparently looting, muggings and car crime were unaffected and carried on as normal. The British Red Cross has so far managed to ship 4,000 crates of Sunny Delight to the area to help the stricken locals.
Rescue workers are still searching through the rubble and have found large quantities of personal belongings, including benefit books, jewellery from Elizabeth Duke at Argos and Bone China from Poundland.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
This appeal is to raise money for food and clothing parcels for those unfortunate enough to be caught up in this disaster.
Clothing is most sought after - items most needed include:
Fila or Burberry baseball caps
Kappa tracksuit tops (his and hers)
Shell suits (female)
White sport socks
Rockport boots and any other items usually sold in Primark and TJ Hughes.
Food parcels may be harder to come by, but are needed all the same.
Required foodstuffs include:
Microwave meals, Tins of baked beans, Ice cream, Cans of Colt 45 or Special Brew.
22p buys a biro for filling in the compensation forms.
£2 buys chips, crisps and blue fizzy drinks for a family of 9.
£5 buys B&H and a lighter to calm the nerves of those affected
Mike, Blackpool says...
2:20am Thu 28 Feb 08
It all lasted about 20 seconds. My friend called me from Nottinghamshire to tell me she was feeling shaking.
Then I turned on Sky News to see that it was a country wide thing and the main headline.
John, Pendle says...
12:07am Thu 28 Feb 08
On a lighter note, my shower gel fell off it's little shelf in the shower due the earthquake!!!
Sue Smith, Chorley says...
11:14pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Ian the Beancounter, Darwen says...
9:16pm Wed 27 Feb 08
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN wrote:Luxury!!! We had to get up half an hour before we went t' bed, lick t'septic tank clean wi' tongue, eat t' tail of a dead rat, then go t' work down t'pit for 25 hours a day. And, when we got 'ome, if we were lucky, Dad would tear us arms off and feed 'em t'pigs. Now, that were proper childhood!! :-))
Earthquake ? Earthquake ? In my day we could only dream of earthquakes. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt. Dont talk to me about earthquakes, you lucky lucky b*stards.
Adam, says...
9:00pm Wed 27 Feb 08
chavbuster, Lancashire says...
8:20pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Ian the Beancounter wrote:Only BwD council would pull a stunt like that!
I wonder if the Redearth residents thought it was the menacing sound of bulldozers arriving in the night?
I have a bet starting now how long this post will last before getting mysteriously pulled again.....
666, Where the walls are painted red says...
7:52pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Then decent people can move in and the rest can go to hell! mwuahahahahahaha!!!!
!!
Beammeup, says...
7:42pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Martika wrote:Why was your bed on Fielding Cres and not in your house.
simon wrote:Congratulations to you and the Mrs!Andy wrote: I felt it! Did you?me and my wife were in bed on feilding cres off greenlane it was a strange feeling all the house shuck.
There are laws against perverts like you.
jcb, says...
7:33pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Martika, San Francisco 89 says...
7:15pm Wed 27 Feb 08
simon wrote:Congratulations to you and the Mrs!
Andy wrote: I felt it! Did you?me and my wife were in bed on feilding cres off greenlane it was a strange feeling all the house shuck.
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN, Flying Circus says...
7:07pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Dont talk to me about earthquakes, you lucky lucky b*stards.
Jay, Shaken not stirred says...
6:56pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Actually, there was a similar *and longer* quake/tremor hit the NW back in 1990. So, this is my second official UK quake. Not sure where everyone else was ie the person in the report was that day back in the summer of 1990 but plenty felt it in Lancashire and mostly the same regions as last night's. That time, far as I remember, it was caused by one off the coast of North Wales.
The whole room moved, rattled then and the floor undulated like on a wave machine rapidly. And the sound was like an approaching train which grew in sound, then diminished as the translated energy from the epicentre travelled outwards and onwards concentrically.
Anyway. Last nights? Yep. Watching TV there was a wierd 'cracl' then a subtle vibration, from my feet up my body as it was shaken quickly from side to side to the top of my head but I heard no sound but felt it. Oh, yes! Knew what it was straight away. Was like being wobbled side to side on a jelly. Then it went.
You may like to know that these things are not uncommon just we often get things called microtremors caused by natural ground movement or other causes daily. It gets absorbed mostly by our footwear and goes unnoticed. Clearly, as animals don't they can get 'jittery' or unsettled at times.
It was great - can we have another one, please? lol
alex, nelson says...
6:34pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Beammeup wrote:that was good Beammeup, well wrote.
I heard that the centre of the earth quake was in fact at Nelson!!
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed causing £12.67p worth of damage!!
Anyone wanting to contribute to the relief effort can leave thier donations of BMW\'s and Subaru\'s with blacked out windows, cheap gold jewelery and weapons at the berder.
Ironicaly the only place to survive was the \'Good Night Club\' whose customers said that it had been a less eventfull night than usual.
Beammeup, says...
6:23pm Wed 27 Feb 08
MIKEOXLONG wrote:Or possibly ladahosen???
Jasper, you do indeed seem to be a strange man, do you by any chance possess any leather/Gimp type equipment?
abdul, Accy says...
6:23pm Wed 27 Feb 08
NOTECTSPEALPLEASE, says...
6:16pm Wed 27 Feb 08
mini wrote:OMG FKOF IFU CNT SPEL
quoteomgg!!! every1 was talkin bwt it in skool n i was lyk omg n i slept through it cause normaly i wake up in every thin lyk noise n dahhh n den omg im so scared emagin if it wass a tornado man im so scared xxxxxxxxxxxxxxallahx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mini, lovely says...
5:52pm Wed 27 Feb 08
quoteomgg!!! every1 was talkin bwt it in skool n i was lyk omg n i slept through it cause normaly i wake up in every thin lyk noise n dahhh n den omg im so scared emagin if it wass a tornado man im so scared xxxxxxxxxxxxxxallahx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
rob, blackburn says...
5:36pm Wed 27 Feb 08
HellBoy, Rumbly,Shaky Hell says...
5:34pm Wed 27 Feb 08
assma wrote:The tremor occurred just before 1am,dude...At thate time you felt your 'tremor',it was probably a good old-fashioned bout of flatulence...;-)
it woke me up about 2am i felt the rm shake n the wardrobes were rattlin. it was a weird experience but didint realise til mornin that wat i encounterd was actuallt an earthquake. freaky or wat....
adam, BLACKBURN says...
5:29pm Wed 27 Feb 08
C E, Burnley says...
5:10pm Wed 27 Feb 08
fee, blackburn says...
4:57pm Wed 27 Feb 08
exciting tho!
MIKEOXLONG, says...
4:56pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Jasper, Brownhill, Blackburn says...
4:49pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Ian the Beancounter, Darwen says...
4:35pm Wed 27 Feb 08
MIKEOXLONG wrote:Hey!! I resent that. My office is in Nelson and I would expect it to fetch at least £3.50 at auction!!
Beammeup wrote: I heard that the centre of the earth quake was in fact at Nelson!! Hundreds of buildings were destroyed causing £12.67p worth of damage!! Anyone wanting to contribute to the relief effort can leave thier donations of BMW's and Subaru's with blacked out windows, cheap gold jewelery and weapons at the berder. Ironicaly the only place to survive was the 'Good Night Club' whose customers said that it had been a less eventfull night than usual.Come on now Beammeup thats just an outrageous comment to make! Surely it was more nearer £3.14 pence worth!
Chris, stacksteads says...
4:09pm Wed 27 Feb 08
MIKEOXLONG, says...
4:06pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Beammeup wrote:Come on now Beammeup thats just an outrageous comment to make! Surely it was more nearer £3.14 pence worth!
I heard that the centre of the earth quake was in fact at Nelson!! Hundreds of buildings were destroyed causing £12.67p worth of damage!! Anyone wanting to contribute to the relief effort can leave thier donations of BMW's and Subaru's with blacked out windows, cheap gold jewelery and weapons at the berder. Ironicaly the only place to survive was the 'Good Night Club' whose customers said that it had been a less eventfull night than usual.
michelle, park lee blackburn says...
3:53pm Wed 27 Feb 08
hassan, burnley says...
3:30pm Wed 27 Feb 08
JH, Darwen says...
3:28pm Wed 27 Feb 08
stacey, qwhite halldarwen says...
3:20pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Beammeup, says...
3:16pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed causing £12.67p worth of damage!!
Anyone wanting to contribute to the relief effort can leave thier donations of BMW's and Subaru's with blacked out windows, cheap gold jewelery and weapons at the berder.
Ironicaly the only place to survive was the 'Good Night Club' whose customers said that it had been a less eventfull night than usual.
Hafsa Mahmood, Blackburn says...
3:13pm Wed 27 Feb 08
kelly, B'Wick says...
2:55pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Neither hubbie nor kids felt a thing even youngest daughter who is sleeping on mattress on dinning room floor (decorating her room) felt anything!!
Scott, Blackpool says...
2:48pm Wed 27 Feb 08
janinemac, catterick ex darwener says...
2:39pm Wed 27 Feb 08
mark wrote:no thats the 3 B's ( blackburn, burnley and bolton) hehehe
at first i thought we'd been nuked!!
Shaken not stirred, says...
2:33pm Wed 27 Feb 08
yas wrote:One thing I've discovered today is that a lot of people seem to have skived off Geography lessons at school...
Please lets not forget the tsunami a few years ago was a result of an earthquake under water and we live on an island!! I wonder if our government have any security measures? i do believe this to be true though that natural disasters will be frequent before the end of days! and also its the last time i go onto youtube looking at excorcisms, weird sigtings etc before going to bed!!
slamma, bb1 says...
2:30pm Wed 27 Feb 08
yas wrote:oh great!!!
Please lets not forget the tsunami a few years ago was a result of an
earthquake under water and we live on an island!! I wonder if our
government have any security measures? i do believe this to be true
though that natural disasters will be frequent before the end of days!
and also its the last time i go onto youtube looking at excorcisms,
weird sigtings etc before going to bed!!
Ian the Beancounter, Darwen says...
2:21pm Wed 27 Feb 08
yas, blackburn says...
2:19pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Richard Carr, Shad, Blackburn says...
2:17pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Stephen Hartley, Rishton says...
1:52pm Wed 27 Feb 08
mark wrote:Got to admit,being half asleep I wondered if a bomb had gone off at first
at first i thought we'd been nuked!!
mark, blackburn says...
1:50pm Wed 27 Feb 08
David, Darwen says...
1:49pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Stephen Hartley, Rishton says...
1:48pm Wed 27 Feb 08
My missus and I had woken up just before it happened.She said,"That was a strong gust of wind.".I thought that was no wind I bet we wake up to reports of an earth tremor,and lo and behold we did.
Rachel, darwen says...
1:46pm Wed 27 Feb 08
I am very suprised my dog wasen't barking though.
Strange!!!
Mrs Miggins, Downtown Blackburn says...
1:38pm Wed 27 Feb 08
LA Man wrote:Yes, when my teapot nearly fell off the shelf I thought of all you American when you have quakes, you must immediately think 'Oh God, what if McDonalds crumbles? What are we going to eat?' Heaven forbid!
I heard that Mrs Miggins house shook so much that the tea pot nearly fell off the kitchen shelf. Is that true? Heavens, the world needs to know what you guys have been through! It must be terrible!
emma, accrington says...
1:38pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Andy, Lancashire says...
1:33pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Amanda wrote:No
Did no one else think that it might have been the end of the world? Is no one worried that it might not have been an earthquake? Is no one afraid that it could be the beginning of a terrible chain of events?
Scott, Livesey says...
1:27pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Shaken not stirred, says...
1:27pm Wed 27 Feb 08
LA Man wrote:I think there has been an over-reaction to last night's tremor but we're not used to be woken by our houses moving. I suppose in LA it makes the news if the ground stays still for 24 hours? :)
I heard that Mrs Miggins house shook so much that the tea pot nearly fell off the kitchen shelf. Is that true? Heavens, the world needs to know what you guys have been through! It must be terrible!
Billy Bob, Darwen says...
1:24pm Wed 27 Feb 08
ononsg wrote:Thats funny she told me the same thing on Friday night and that wasn't you either.
My Missis said she felt the earth move last night. And I know it was not me!!!!!
Richard Carr, Shad, Blackburn says...
1:23pm Wed 27 Feb 08
Amanda Mckimm, Accrington says...
1:03pm Wed 27 Feb 08
LA Man, Los Angeles says...
12:56pm Wed 27 Feb 08
assma, blackburn says...
12:50pm Wed 27 Feb 08
emma, accrington says...
alison, stacksteads, bacup says...
3:01pm Sun 9 Mar 08