Ananova:

Tremors have been felt across England, with the British Geological Survey reporting a preliminary magnitude for the earthquake of 5.3 on the Richter Scale.

It said the epicentre was 8km east of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, 22km south-west of Grimsby and 15.4km deep.

A spokeswoman for Lincolnshire Police said they had received dozens of phone calls about the tremor and some structural damage to homes had been reported - cracks and damage to chimneys.

A man from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was taken to hospital after a chimney collapsed and fell through his bedroom roof.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Ambulance Service said the man suffered injuries to his pelvis and was taken to Barnsley District Hospital.

People from Yorkshire, Manchester, Merseyside, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and London also reported feeling their homes and offices shake at about 1am.

Many said the tremors had been strong enough to wake them, but there have been no reports of injury.

The North West Ambulance Service said its crews had reported feeling the tremor from Macclesfield to Southport, but they had not heard of any injuries.

Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they had received reports of tremors but no reports of injuries.

John Jenkin, from Bourne in Lincolnshire, was woken by the tremors and said that objects had fallen from shelves. "I was woken up. It was hell," said Mr Jenkin. "The police around here suddenly became very busy."