Kent Earthquake Causes £300,000 Damages to Churches

Five Churches have been damaged by the earthquake which hit South East England at the weekend, Matthew Cresswell of the Church of England newspaper has explained.

More than £300,000 worth of damage has been caused to church properties in Kent, according to The Church of England Newspaper, which has said that the worst hit was St Peter's in Folkestone whose south transept completely collapsed.

Rev Stephen Bould at St Peter's said the quake shocked the small congregation celebrating early morning Eucharist at the time. He said: "It sounded like the largest freight train you've ever heard approaching at 150 mph through a tunnel. The church itself did quite visibly move while dust and small pieces of rubble descended on the congregation," according to the newspaper.

Ecclesiastical Insurance has told the Church of England that the cost is likely to exceed of £300,000. The company's chief claims manager David Bonehill said: "This was the worst earthquake we've seen since 2002 and it caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and of course churches too. We're working as quickly as possible to get life back to normal."

In the aftermath of the earthquake, members of The Salvation Army were quickly dispatched to help families evacuate their homes.

Families in the affected region without alternative accommodation found respite from their damaged homes at the Folkestone Salvation Army church run by ministers Captains Mark and Lindy Rose. Around 100 people took refuge there over the course of the morning of the 4.3-magnitude quake.

Captain Mark Rose said: "We have had a lot of people through the doors and almost all of them have been suffering from some sort of shock. They have been able to talk to each other and share experiences which provides a measure of comfort."

A mobile emergency vehicle fitted with its own gas and electric generator was also sent by The Salvation Army to Folkestone from its regional headquarters in Maidstone to provide the evacuees with essential food and drink refreshments.