Life in and around the Borders can be dangerous as this BBC story demonstrates: Hutton is not a milion miles from Dumfries. Unfortunately the Hutton Think Tank Richter Reader was being repaired after being dropped by a careless boffin so no accurate recordiing could be made-however the stand in sea weed sensor was observed to tremble slightly at the time of the tremors.
Dumfries is shaken by earthquake"Dumfries
The tremors were felt in and around Dumfries
An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale has shaken parts of Dumfries and Galloway.
People living in and around Dumfries said they felt two tremors at about 1040 GMT on Boxing Day.
Police said they had been inundated with calls from people reporting the earthquake, which was also felt by people living in Lanarkshire.
Retired teacher Meg Edgar, who lives on the outskirts of Dumfries, told BBC Scotland it was "really frightening".
She said she had heard an "almighty, thunderous crash" on the roof as she went to put away Christmas presents.
'Really frightening'
She said: "I really thought somebody was trying to break in through the roof.
"My immediate thought was that it can't be Father Christmas because it is a day too late***, but it was really frightening."
The British Geological Survey said the earthquake was the largest in the UK this year.
Bennett Simpson, a seismologist with the BGS in Edinburgh, said: "This was a significant earthquake, but we would expect one or two of this magnitude every year.
"We have taken a number of calls from people in the Dumfries area reporting windows rattling, houses shaking and hearing a large bang."
The Edinburgh-based BGS has created a web page - at www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk - where people can send their experiences of the quake.
A police spokesman in Dumfries said it had lasted for about 10 seconds.
"We weren't sure what it was, then the phones started ringing and they haven't stopped. It was actually scary," he said.
The spokesman added that no injuries or damage had been reported.
Marie Brown, a receptionist at the Station Hotel in Dumfries, said: "I was sitting in the bar downstairs and all of a sudden I thought there was a convoy of trucks going past. But it didn't stop.
"The walls then started shaking and I became quite frightened. My fiancé is a builder and he looked at me and said 'This isn't good', but then it stopped.
"It was a scary moment for us but everything seems to be okay."
*** Fishwick Special Branch spokesman confirmed that there could well have been a delay locally in Father Christmas'progress through the Borders and South West Scotland A man answering his description was detained overnight for acting in a suspicious manner, breaking and entering a number of premises and being away over the limit. 'He stank of cooking sherry' commented a senior officer. He was allowed to proceed on foot next morning-the 26th- after his a number of 'traumatised' reindeer were taken into care by BARK (Berwickshire Animal Rescue Koncern)
