Offshore earthquake shakes coast

The tremor was rattled windows along the coast

An earthquake under the sea has shaken buildings in parts of the South West.

The National Geological Survey recorded the earthquake taking place just after 1530 BST on Wednesday.

It later confirmed that the epicentre was about 50km (31 miles) south of Plymouth and that it measured 3.1 on the Richter scale.

Witnesses said that the tremor was strong enough to rattle windows and household objects in towns and villages along the coast.

Earthquakes have hit the south west of England before.

In November 1996, a quake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale centred on Mounts Bay, near Penzance, shook parts of Cornwall.

In October 1997, a tremor of 2.8 on the Richter Scale shook homes in Totnes and other parts of south Devon.

The last recorded tremor was in June 2001, when a minor quake measuring 3.6 on the Richter Scale hit properties across Devon and Cornwall.