A small earthquake was recorded in the Gatwick area in the early hours of Saturday morning.  

The tremor has been recorded on the British Geological Survey website showing a magnitude of 2.5.  It follows a series of tremors in the area; four were recorded in February. The British Geological Survey has been studying the events in more detail.  It says the earthquake epicentres are tightly clustered in a small source zone between the villages of Newdigate and Charlwood.

Residents have raised concerns that the tremors may be the result of nearby gas and oil exploration.  However Stephen Hicks, a seismologist at Imperial College London, told the BBC that scientists are keeping an open mind. He said it is most likely that the earthquakes are natural, due to small tectonic stresses occurring in old geological faults caused by stresses from our nearest plate boundaries in the Mid-Atlantic and Mediterranean.  

The BGS has asked those who felt Saturday morning’s earthquake to fill out an online f06orm at  earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/questionnaire/EqQuestIntro.html

Blind and visually impaired passengers at Gatwick Airport can now get free help 24 hours a day.  

Passengers can call a professionally trained agent who will guide them through the airport by using the camera on the passenger’s mobile phone via an app.  The free, on demand service, can be accessed through the Aira app to guide passengers through the airport. It can help them read documents or even find their bag on the luggage carousel.

The system is being trialled for six months at Gatwick in partnership with Easyjet.

A man from Redhill appeared at Staines Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with multiple offences including burglary.

Luke Lethbridge-Carr of Observatory Walk was arrested on Thursday afternoon.  The burglary charges relate to incidents last week at properties in Reigate and Redhill and at a church in Caterham.

Lethbridge-Carr was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Guildford Crown Court on 23rd May.

Surrey County Council has announced that 87% of Surrey children have been offered reception class places at their first choice primary school.  Almost all who applied, 97% of pupils, were given one of their top three preferred schools.

For Junior school applications, over 93% of Surrey applicants were offered their first preference school, while almost 97% were offered one of their top three preferences.  All show a slight increase from last year.

Surrey County Council has said it has made a big investment in extra school places over the last ten years.