Earthquakes? In the UK?

 The UK does not experience high earthquake activity. They are at a safe distance from their nearest tectonic plate being the Eurasian plate and because of this they are in an area that has not had an earthquake that has resulted in destruction of property or fatalities in over a century. Below is a list of Significant British Earthquakes from the past few hundred years, as you can see most of those earthquakes are of a low magnitude and did not hit the UK directly but rather surrounding waters. 

In 2010, emergency responders in multiple locations throughout the UK has a simulation earthquake drill that would help prepare the fire and rescue team for the unlikely occasion that a destructive earthquake were to hit the island. This USAR (Urban Search And Rescue) Earthquake Drill is referred to as Exercise Orion 2010. Pictures of what this “real life practice” looked like are posted below featuring one of the recently demolished locations used for this exercise. 

During Exercise Orion 2010, USAR teams were sent to assess the property and figure out the best possible ways to rescue the people that were staged in various locations throughout the site. They practiced use of equipment and had to keep in mind that the people in these buildings could potentially get hurt from any missteps that they may make along the way. Below is a video posted by the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service in October of 2010 overviewing some of the exercises and scenarios that were part of Exercise Orion 2010. 

Another way in which the UK has had preventative measures enforced in case of the unlikely event that a major earthquake were to hit their island is through construction. Building measures to prevent collapse as well as to allow for safe evacuation have been placed on most modern UK buildings. A model of such a building is presented below: