28th April: An earthquake registering 4.3 on the Richter scale struck south east Kent at 08:18:12 (local time), at a shallow depth of 5.3 km. The worst affected area was the town of Folkestone though the towns of Deal, Dover and Ashford were also affected. The tremors could be felt across much of Kent and south east England including as far as East Sussex, Essex and Suffolk, as well as on the other side of the English Channel at Calais and Brussels.
The earthquake's shallow depth and proximity to Folkestone resulted in structural damage in the town, and one woman suffered a minor head and neck injury. Following the earthquake, a total 474 properties were reported as damaged with 73 properties too badly damaged for people to return to, 94 seriously damaged, and 307 suffering from minor structural damage. Harvey Grammar School situated in Cheriton Road, Folkestone was closed on 30 April due to "significant structural damage".
Several thousand homes were left without power for several hours and there were reports of a "smell of gas" in Folkestone. The Port of Dover, the channel tunnel and travel links were unaffected although authorities asked people heading towards Dover to use the A2. EDF Energy had restored electricity supplies that had been cut by the earthquake by the same afternoon. The Salvation Army Church in Folkestone provided refuge for approximately 100 people on 28 April whose homes had been damaged by the earthquake.