British seismologists later confirmed that the region had been struck by a 3.9-magnitude quake, with its epicentre close to the Lincolnshire town of Grimsby.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said it happened at 11.14pm.
Tremors felt across Lancashire after 4.7 magnitude quake hits WalesIt was felt in north east Lincolnshire, north Lincolnshire and Hull, the BGS added.
The BGS said it had received a number of reports from local residents who said "the whole house shook for a couple of seconds" another said their "radiator jolted" while a third reported a "rumble with simultaneous trembling".
A map from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre showing where people reported feeling the "quake".
A more colourful description "thought it was a lorry crashing outside".
Many people went on social media to ask what it was they had just felt.
It comes almost a decade after a 5.2-magnitude natural disaster in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, which was felt widely across England and Wales.
The largest quake so far this year, according to the Press Association, was one of 4.6 magnitude at Cwmllynfell, south Wales, on February 17.
Such earthquakes were not uncommon in the United Kingdom, it said, happening every two years on average.
19 April 2018
26 October 2017
11 June 2018
