A small earthquake has been recorded in Cornwall in the early hours of this morning (Sunday).

People in Helston reported hearing "a thud, followed by a rumble" shortly before 1am.

Residents at Gwealdues and Bulwark are among those hearing the unusual noise.

One person said: "Scared the life out of me! My sofa shook!" while another reported how her "house shook in Breage".

However, official records show the epicentre to actually be Mounts Bay.

The British Geological Survey, which records earthquakes and seismic activity around the British Isles, registered it at 12.50am as being a magnitude of 2.7 with a depth of 13km.

It is the largest magnitude recorded by the BGS in the last three months, with the current record going back to September.

However, on the magnitude scale it is still considered a small earthquake.

To put it into perspective, magnitudes of 2.5 or less are usually not felt, but can be recorded by a seismograph. Millions of these can take place around the world each year, often without people realising.

At 2.7 this morning's quake in Mounts Bay just pushes in to the next category, of 2.5 to 5.4 . These can often be felt, but only cause minor damage at most, with around 500,000 recorded each year.

It is not considered a major earthquake until it reaches 7 on the magnitude scale.

Explaining its recordings, the BGS says: "The British Geological Survey provides up-to-date information on recent and historical earthquakes, educational resources, and seismic hazard services.

"Depths are rounded to the nearest km and all events shallower than 1 km are listed as 1 km.

"Magnitudes are local magnitude (ML) and are calculated to one decimal place, as is standard practice in earthquake seismology."