Earthquake felt in Scottish village on Christmas Eve

Residents described being woken by a “loud bang” in the early hours of Sunday.

Residents of a Scottish village experienced a small earthquake in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

The magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded just outside Kilmelford in Argyll and Bute around 5.16am on Sunday.

Residents of Kilmelford in Argyll and Bute reported being woken by a "loud bang" in the early hours of Christmas Eve. PIC: Richard Webb/geograph.org.

Residents of the village, which sits around 16 miles south of Oban, described the moment the earthquake struck with some believing it was a military jet and others experiencing a "a loud, low rumble like a heavy vehicle passing" and a "loud bang that woke me up", according to a report on BGS website.

It was also felt in Lochgilphead and on the islands of Mull and Lismore.

A number of small earthquakes have been documented across Scotland this month. A 1.5 magnitude quake was recorded in Morvern, Highland, on December 15 with the village experiencing four further tremors during the month.

In Islay in the Inner Hebrides, a 1.6 magnitude quake was recorded on December 11.