PEOPLE living on the Herefordshire border with the Forest of Dean and Monmouthshire could have been rocked by an earthquake.

It measure 2.9 on the Richter scale, with the epicentre in the south Wales town of Caldicot, near Newport.

Residents described houses shaking, windows rattling and TV’s vibrating – while others thought cars had crashed into their home.

The earthquake reportedly struck at 3.16pm on Sunday and was felt in and around the Bristol area, as well as in Monmouthshire.

The seismic activity occurred 9km below the earth’s surface and had a reported magnitude of 2.9 on the Richter scale, according to the British Geological Survey.

A statement from Volcano Discovery, who alert the public on earthquakes and volcanoes, said the quake was felt by many people who were in quiet places within a radius of up to 25 km from the epicentre, which stretches as far as Monmouth and Coleford, near Symonds Yat, Ross-on-Wye.

"Minutes after the quake struck, we received many reports especially from people in the town of Bristol, where it was felt as a brief rattling movement, similar but stronger than the vibrations caused by a passing heavy truck," it said.

"A user reported to have 'felt the room wobble and the sound of a heavy thump.

"A wardrobe door had slid open a couple of inches.'"