Leighton Buzzard is hit by third earthquake in two weeks as tremor rattles homes

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A Bedfordshire town has been hit by an earthquake – the third tremor in two weeks – as experts say fracturing rock hundreds of metres below the surface could be to blame.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) say the 3.0 magnitude earthquake was centered around the town of Leighton Buzzard.

It comes just weeks after a 3.5 quake struck the same town, on September 8.

Another tremor, which hit at 11.20pm on Sunday, September 13, was measured by the BGS at magnitude 2.1.

It is thought to have been an aftershock from the quake that was felt on September 8.

The latest tremor is said to have been around six miles deep and slightly to the north of the town, according to the BGS, who today said it was ‘too early’ to give a cause for the earthquake.

However, a spokesperson for the BGS said the organisation believes the quakes to be ‘naturally occurring’ and that the most recent tremor could be the ground ‘resettling’ after the first one earlier this month.

One expert has also suggested the Leighton Buzzard tremors were likely caused by the fracturing of solid rock in ‘hidden fault lines’, several hundred metres below the surface. 

Earthquake expert Dr Matthew Blackett, a reader in natural hazards at Coventry University, said ‘What seems to have happened is that this was an initial earthquake in a hidden fault – some stress or other has caused it.

‘These two subsequent events are a readjustment of the fault lines to come back to some sort of stability.

‘The crust has to adjust itself to become stable again, that seems to have happened to the poor people of Leighton Buzzard. 

‘It is quite possible that that sequence is now done, but it might be that there are still stresses there.

‘If there are (further tremors), I think it will only be minor events.’

He said there was nothing to suggest in advance that Leighton Buzzard would be hit by the earthquakes.

Dr Blackett added: ‘There was nothing to indicate it would have happened there. After now, I think it might be studied.

‘Perhaps in Bedfordshire it’s more complicated than we have ever been aware of.’

Meanwhile, independent scientific organization, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reports the quake to be around 3.1 magnitude and slightly more to the south, near to the Hertfordshire village of Tring. 

Testimonials left on their website by people living in the area said the tremor felt a ‘very brief couple of second rumble accompanied by a significant bang’.

The resident added: ‘It felt and sounded like a herd of something rampaging over the garage roof.’

According to the BGS, the quake took place around 8.30am today, though twitter users in Leighton Buzzard reported feeling the latest shaking shortly after 9.30am this morning.

One said: ‘Was that another earthquake in Leighton Buzzard? Anyone else feel that?’ 

A tweet posted this morning by the BGS said: ‘We are getting reports of an earthquake in the Leighton Buzzard area this morning.

‘We are currently investigating this and will update you as soon as we can.’

In a follow up tweet, the BGS said: ‘We’re receiving reports about the earthquake, which followed previous events in the same area on September 8 and 13, with magnitudes 3.5 and 2.1.

‘Reports describe ‘only lasted a couple of seconds’ and ‘just felt a single jolt, a bit like being in a car that has done an emergency stop!’

One Twitter user, Dina Gower, said: ‘Felt it about 9:34am in Leighton Buzzard – house shook and windows rattled but not as strong as on September 8.’

Another, James Emm, said: ‘Shook our house in Linslade / Leighton buzzard at about 9.34ish for a moment.

‘This felt like like more of a shake than the first one which felt more like an explosion.

‘Would day slightly weaker too or just not on top of the epicenter as much this time.’

Another, Joe Reggelt, added: ‘Conservatory rattled and the similar ‘explosion’ sound as September 8 event but not as loud.’  

Meanwhile, Sheila O’Connell, an NHS worker who lives in Leighton Buzzard, said today’s quake felt similar to the event two weeks ago.

She said: ‘It was a bang and it was a shake, a real shake. I felt the building shake.

‘It was almost the same as the first one.

‘My instinct was, ‘Is that another earthquake? What is going on in Leighton Buzzard?”

She said she did not feel unsafe, but added: ‘If they carry on it might well come to that.’

The series of tremors in the town could be part of a ‘swarm’ of earthquakes, the BGS has told Mirror Online.

If that is the case, it could be similar to a series of 34 earthquakes known as the ‘Surrey swarm’, which took place between April 2018 and May 2019.

At the time, neighbours blamed oil wells a few miles away in Horse Hill and Brockham.

However, a study by Imperial College London, the University of Bristol and the British Geological Survey (BGS) concluded the earthquakes were natural. 

Speaking about the Leighton Buzzard tremors, Glenn Ford, a seismologist with the BGS, said: ‘What we’re seeing here is a small aftershock from that earthquake (on September 8).’

Mr Ford said it was ‘typical behaviour’ which had been seen in different areas of the UK ‘on many occasions’. 

He added: ‘There’s obviously been some stress been building up in that particular area and we’ve had the initial earthquake.

‘It’s maybe just still rebalancing the stress regime in that particular part of the world and we’re getting these little aftershocks occurring as well.

‘It probably will settle down soon but could we get another one? We certainly could, but when it could happen, we don’t know.’