Britons Quaking After Midnight Tremors

Britons are calming down with a cuppa this morning after an earthquake rattled much of the island at 12:56am. The biggest quake here since 1984, the tremor was reported to be between 4.7 and 5.3 on the Richter scale and centered 127 miles north of London. Bricks tumbled and power went out in some places and one injury was reported, according to the Guardian.

"The whole room was shaking for about 20 seconds,"  said one Manchester woman. "It was quite scary,” said a student in Hull, “I was woken up and looked out of the window and there were loads of people on the streets." Wildlife contributed to the festive atmosphere. “The pheasants started singing and other birds began to sing as well” said a man in Bedfordshire. Another declared, “The grandfather clock was rattling rather violently.” (More earthquake stories.)