An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 has shaken windows and caused walls to creak when it struck in the middle of the night in Kent, England.
No injuries or damage to buildings were reported following the tremor 7km south of Ramsgate at 2.52am (1152 AEST) on Friday, Kent Police said.
Locals reported books being shaken from shelves and described the earthquake as feeling like a vehicle had been driven into their property.
One thought their hotel door was being kicked in, another described their house creaking, while a third said the tremor sounded like a "heavy object rolling over the roof of the house".
More than 800 "felt reports" were received by the British Geological Survey, mainly from residents in Ramsgate, Margate and surrounding areas.
But the BGS said reports of the earthquake were also received from as far afield as Norwich, North Walsham and Cromer in East Anglia.
Kent has been at the centre of tremors before. In April 2007, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake hit Folkestone, causing cracked walls and fallen chimneys at dozens of buildings.
Some Twitter users made light of the quake, jokingly posting "devastating scenes" of overturned wheelie bins and garden furniture with messages such as "We will rebuild".
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