Tremors felt throughout Leighton Buzzard after magnitude-3.8 earthquake strikes

The epicentre of the quake was reported in Pitstone, at a depth of 10km.

Bedfordshire Police has received a large number of calls from residents, but no structural damage had been reported as of yet.

One Linslade resident said: "I was working upstairs when the whole house shook. The noise made me wonder whether something like a tree had hit it. Cats jumped. Ran outside where my neighbours were all doing the same.

"One was in his garden and said his car visibly shook. I checked the house structure which on first examination appears to be okay."

Another resident added: " The house shook violently for 2-3 seconds, the cats panicked, everyone in the street came out afterwards to share their experience."

The British Geological Survey reports the quake as minor in scale, but has received 500 reports from members of the public who felt their homes shake.

More on this to follow.