Your views on the quake

RESIDENTS from all corners of the region have reported feeling the earthquake which hit the country just before 1am this morning.

Emergency services say several buildings have been damaged - although there are no reports of any injuries.

The British Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 5.2 on the Richter scale.

The quake struck at 12.56am this morning near Market Rasen, in Lincolnshire.

In North Yorkshire, police received 66 emergency calls, and a further 593 calls on its non-emergency number, mainly from residents seeking reassurance.

Inspector Simon Lovell said: "All our officers have been carrying out reassurance patrols and checking there is no sign of any damage."

Fire and rescue crews were called out to four properties in Selby where the tremor left chimneys in a dangerous state.

A chimney breast collapsed at one property in York Street, Selby.

Police in County Durham said they had taken several calls from concerned members of the public.

But they said there had been no damage reported.

Residents across the North-East and North Yorkshire have reported feeling the earth move - although many were unsure what the tremors where until they heard reports of the quake this morning.

Lydia Hughes, 16, from Darlington.

"My sister got up this morning and said she had heard something.

She said the house shook but she had thought it was a lorry passing. It wasn't until we turned on the television that we realised what had happened."

Paul Marshall, 16, from Darlington.

"One of my friends, who lives just around the corner from me, texted me in the middle of the night saying, 'did you feel the earth shake last night?' But I was fast asleep."

David Calendar, 34, from Darlington.

"Some glasses started shaking. I didn't know what it was.

I thought it was a bit odd, but I didn't actually realise what had happened until I was watching GMTV this morning."

Ashley Scoones, 20, and Rebecca Hale, 25, of Darlington.

"We felt shaking and we were terrified. We didn't know what was going on."

In Stockton, one resident reported a tree being blown over in her garden.

Matthew Richardson, 34, from Hartburn in Stockton was reading in bed when he felt the tremor.

He said: "All of the sudden the whole room shook and, at first, I thought it was the wind outside.

"I woke up my wife to tell her that I thought it was an earthquake, but she just laughed until we switched on the radio this morning and it was the main news story."

Richard Lloyd, 28, manager of Mandale Furniture, in Stockton, was at home in Yarm the quake struck.

He said: "I didn't know what was happening - my sofa started moving like the washing machine was on then I thought the mirror was going to come off the wall. It was really cool though - even though I was scared."

Gordon Thubron, of Newton Aycliffe, said: "I'd just gone to bed and just settled down and the bed gave a little tremor.

"I wondered if it was the neighbours moving something next door.

"I had a look around in case someone had got in the house or if there was a fire or something and then went back to bed."

The tremors were felt in the main post office sorting room in Stockton.

A postal worker said: "The lads on night shift said the sorting racks - which are all securely anchored to the floor - shook for a good minute or two.'' The earthquake triggered all the intruder alarms in the high rise tower block, Hume House, near Stockton railway station. And picture frames crashed from the walls on to room floors.

Victoria Howard, of South Parade, Northallerton, was woken by the quake. She said: "I got woken up about 1am with the windows, bed and house shaking.

"I thought I was having a nightmare, and it seemed to last between eight and ten seconds."

Daniel Robinson, from Redmire, in the Yorkshire Dales, said: At first I thought it was the wind.

It went on for five or six seconds, but it seems longer when youre sat in bed.

Ive ringing people all morning saying did you feel it?.

Seismologist Dr Brian Baptie, from the British Geological Survey, said: The is a significant earthquake for the UK and will have been widely felt across England and Wales.