ANIMALS have a sixth sense to earthquakes and pets would have known the tremor was coming before their owners did.

That's according to Ron Freethy, the Lancashire Telegraph's nature writer, who said birds would have flown into the air just before the earthquake happened and cats would have fled to open ground.

He said: "Many people in the area will have seen their animals and pets acting strangely just before and during the earthquake.

"Animals have a sixth sense which is something that we have lost because we are used to our comfortable lives indoors.

"Most people's pets are more in-tune with the earth and would have felt the tremors early.

"This will have got their wind up and many dogs will have cowered in the corner or made a fuss while cats, if they could, will have run into the open where it felt safer."

Ron said that he managed to sleep through the earthquake.

But he added: "Many animals would have been quite distressed.

"Birds would have been singing to make sure that all of their flock was all right."