Winchester hit by earthquake of 2.9 magnitude

An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.9 has been recorded in Winchester.

Hampshire police said they had received lots of calls from concerned residents in the Kingsworthy area following reports of something which “felt like an explosion which shook their houses”.

The quake is believed to have hit the Hampshire town at about 6.30pm at a depth of three kilometres, according to the British Geological Survey website.

A police spokesman said the force had been speaking to partner agencies and that no explanation or cause for the shaking could be found.

He said: “No injuries have been reported.

“We will continue to investigate to see if a valid explanation can be found but in the meantime would urge all those who heard or felt it not to be alarmed.

“If we find out what it was, we’ll let you know.”