Earthquake strikes Walsall in UK's West Midlands

British Geological Survey recorded 2.8 magnitude tremor on Monday

Walsall in the West Midlands of England was hit by a 2.8 magnitude earthquake. Getty Images

A 2.8 magnitude earthquake struck the West Midlands late on Monday night, the British Geological Survey has said.

It hit the town of Walsall, near Birmingham, at a depth of seven kilometres at 10.59pm.

The BGS said the effects of the quake were felt in a 20km radius from its epicentre, with tremors being detected by residents in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley.

Affected residents told the BGS the quake shook their homes, while one person said it “was like a wardrobe had fallen over or an explosion blast against the window”.

Pete Sandhu, a police inspector, was at home when the quake hit.

"I thought someone was knocking on the window!! Just an earthquake in Dudley," he tweeted.

Another resident, Amanda Dingley, thought a car had hit her house.

"Shook my house in Wednesbury too, just home from a late shift and thought someone had crashed into our cars/house!" she tweeted.

The BGS said the epicentre was about 13km east of the magnitude 4.7 Dudley earthquake, which was felt over much of England when it struck on September 22, 2002.

The latest quake has led to a series of joke tweets being posted about the area.

The quake comes after the UK was hit by Franklin, the third violent storm to land on its shores in a week. People across the UK were told to expect "major disruption" to travel as heavy rains and ferocious winds swept across the country causing major flooding incidents.