A good number of people had their sleep cut short early yesterday morning when a mild earthquake shook them awake.

The tremor was recorded at around three on the Richter scale, seismologist Pauline Galea told The Times. The epicentre was relatively close to the island, just 20 kilometres to the southeast.

The quake, which took place at around 4.45 a.m., was mostly felt in the south but people living closer to the centre of the island also felt the earth move.

A 31-year-old woman said she was in a fourth-floor penthouse in Sliema. She had been woken up a few minutes earlier by a strong gust of wind and felt the room shaking.

"I could feel the floor tiles moving and immediately realised it was an earthquake. It lasted a few seconds," she said.

A man in Marsascala said the whole family was awakened by what he described as shaking that lasted a few seconds.

"The chandelier was rattling. It felt like a fireworks factory had just exploded," said Alfred Busuttil.

A number of people phoned the police to enquire if there had been an explosion but a spokesman said this was not the case. No damage was reported.

The quake was recorded at the Wied Dalam station, operated by the university's Physics Department.

Asked whether other tremors were expected, Dr Galea said it was difficult to see any pattern since earthquakes in this region were quite random. She explained that yesterday's quake could be an isolated one or part of a swarm of small earthquakes taking place over a few days.

However, there should be no risk of a tsunami which only happens after a very strong quake, usually registering around eight on the Richter scale.

Although earthquakes are not often felt here, Dr Galea said several small ones take place around the island. While the majority are not detectable by people, they are recorded by seismological equipment. Greece and Sicily are the Mediterranean's most active zones.

Malta, said Dr Galea, is just off the main plate boundary between Africa and Europe which passes through Sicily.

Last January a strong earthquake in Greece was felt by thousands of people here at lunchtime. The epicentre of the 6.9-magnitude quake was around 125 miles south of Athens, about 40 kilometres beneath the seabed.

A stronger tremor was felt in Malta in July 2003 when an earthquake measuring almost four on the Richter scale caused panic around the island.