Earthquake felt in Crawley in early hours

Fabienne Salmon, who lives in Ifield, said the earthquake struck at around 1am.

She said: “It lasted only three seconds and it wasn’t as strong as the last one, but there was still loud rumbling and had our house was shaking again.”

The British Geological Survey, which monitors quakes around the world, confirmed the earthquake. A spokesman said site managers were currently trying to analyse how big it was.

A number of earthquakes have hit the area in recent months.

The largest struck in the region in February when thousands of people were left shocked as the quake rocked houses across Crawley, Gatwick and Horsham, as well as an area in Surrey.

Experts have previously dismissed fears that the earthquakes could be connected with drilling for oil on land north of Gatwick.

Houses shaken as earthquake hits Crawley area