'I thought a train had hit the building'

Licensees hit by this morning's earthquake have told thepublican.com​ how the force of the tremors rocked through their pubs.

Licensee John Bradley's premises, the Aston Arms in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, is close to the epicentre of the 10 second quake that measured 5.2 on the Richter scale.

He described how picture frames and books were thrown from the shelves of the pub - which is also famous for being the inspiration behind Elton John's 1973 hit Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting.

"I wondered what had happened," said Bradley. "It felt like something had smashed into the side of the building. Just before 1am I felt the building rumble then it got worse and was gone."

No other damage was sustained at the pub but some chimneys were toppled in other buildings in the town.

Another Market Rasen licensee, Steve Whattam of The Gordon Arms, feared that a train had come through his building when the force of the quake woke him.

"It was a big thing. I thought a train had come off the tracks as there are lines close to us, or that something was going into the building. It was a hell of a shake."

Luckily Steve, who lives above the premises, was unscathed and the building sustained no damage.

"It has proved itself to be a sturdy building," he said.

"It was actually great fun," he added. "It has given us all something to talk about."

The quake, the biggest to hit the UK for nearly 25 years could be felt across the country in places such as Newcastle, Yorkshire, Cumbria, the Midlands, Norfolk, London and parts of Wales.