Buxton earthquake: 2.5 magnitude tremor hits town amid Storm Henk weather chaos

A UK TOWN has been hit by an EARTHQUAKE - with 2.5 magnitude tremors felt yards from its centre.

Buxton in Derbyshire was struck by the earthquake at 5.30pm this evening.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the tremor measured a tiny 2.5 on the Richter scale.

The epicentre of the quake was just 2.5km north west of the picturesque market town, at a depth of 3km.

No members of the public are thought to have noticed the tremors.

The most severe earthquake to hit the UK was recorded in Dogger Bank in the North Sea - 60 miles off the Yorkshire coast.

The tremor reached 6.1 on the Richter scale and caused structural damages around the epicentre.

A BGS spokesperson said: "Although distant from the nearest plate boundary, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, earthquakes in the UK occur as crustal stresses within the tectonic plates are relieved by movement occurring on pre-existing fault planes.

"The driving forces for earthquake activity in the UK are unclear."

It comes as Brits have been told not to leave home during Storm Henk, with forecasters issuing a danger to life warning.

Paramedics and firefighters scrambled to a road in Orpington, south London after a woman was crushed by a tree.

The London Fire Brigade is now urging people in the capital to stay indoors and to only travel if they need to.

In Birmingham a brave passer-by rescued a three-year-old child and a driver from a car submerged in flood water.

The hero then secured the vehicle to the bridge to prevent it being washed away, local cops said.

A father also rescued an unresponsive woman from the freezing River Severn in Worcester after spotting her "floating like a mannequin",

Colin McGarva, 31, waded into the fast-flowing river to save the motionless 50-year-old woman.

Families were even forced to abandon their caravans in the Billing Aquadrome in Northampton, this afternoon, thanks to the torrid conditions.

Did you notice the earthquake? Email Harry Goodwin: harry.goodwin@the-sun.co.uk