IT'S not often that the earth moves early on a Monday morning, but today the week got off to a shuddering, shaking start.

An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale hit large parts of England and Wales, and was felt in this region, spreading from an epicentre in the West Midlands town of Dudley, of all places.

Sadly, most people were asleep at the time and so dreamed their way through this earth-moving event.

Updated: 10:20 Monday, September 23, 2002