Iceland volcano LIVE: 1,200 earthquakes rock Grindavik as residents enter 'red zone' to collect belongings with eruption looming

Residents in Iceland fear homes in the evacuated town of Grindavik could be 'frozen in time like Pompeii' should they be covered in lawa.

British Expat Anne Sigurdsson, 66, moved to Iceland from Carlisle seven years ago with her husband Siggi, 63. She told the Mirror: 'This island could be ripped apart. We fear Grindavik could end up frozen in time like Pompeii.'

She said she could hear the heavy earthquakes plaguing the area before she could feel them, describing them as 'thunder in the ground'.

Ms Sigurdsson added: 'It was being inside one of those snow globes and being shaken around.'

Many homes in Grindavik were left with massive cracks zigzagging through the walls.

Electricity went down in many parts of Grindavik as the town faced the presure of the magma below.

Electricity officials have said they hope services will restored this evening.

Pall Erland, a director at energy firm HS Veitna, said:

'We've been searching this morning, the local work teams, and we think we've found the cause of the failure that is perhaps causing the biggest power outage.

'It's simply a broken cable that's right in the area where the crack runs through the whole town.'

He said that that the town's heating supplies and electricity systems had faced serious damage due to the earthquakes.

'Yes of course the area is in bad shape and there are disasters, both itself and landslides that go bad with cables and pipes.

'There are a number of failures in the system, but we are trying to keep it running and prioritise actions so that what is most important and takes the shortest time gets attention now.'

The Foreign Office has issued to advice to British nationals wishing to travel to Iceland ahead of likely volcanic eruption.

The advice said: 'Earthquakes and indications of volcanic activity have increased above normal levels on the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik. The Icelandic authorities continue to monitor the area closely, particularly the area northwest of Mt Thorbjörn near the Svartsengi power plant and the Blue Lagoon.

'On 10 November, a Civil Protection Alert was declared after an intense swarm of earthquakes. The town of Grindavík was evacuated as a precaution. Some roads have been closed and visitors are advised to stay away from the area.

'Keflavik International Airport is operating as normal. While there  is no current eruption, it is increasingly possible that one could occur. You should monitor local media for updates and follow the authorities advice on travel to the area.'

Iceland's Met Office has said around 1,200 earthquakes have been detected in the area around the magma intrusion near Grindivik since midnight.

• The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates cut through Iceland, which cause volcanic activity as they pull apart. The area where Grindavik is sits on this mid-Atlantic ridge.
• Iceland's volcanoes appear to be sat on a 'hotspot', areas in which hot plumes rise upward, acting as mechanisms for the Earth to release some of its internal heat.

• Cars have been allowed back into Grindavik again today.
• Residents who have been given permission by authorities have entered the 'red zone', considered the most dangerous area of the town.
• It was earlier reported that only one member of each household would be allowed to travel into the town.
• Authorities have said that cars have entered the area and that it is going smoothly.

• A significant part of Grindavík is facing power outages.
• The Civil Defence has warned electricity structures and cables damaged by constant earthquakes and subsidence could pose a risk.

• 'If there is an eruption near Þorbjörn (a volcanic mountain), it can certainly happen that lava flows into Grindavík. However, it depends on where the fissure is located, how exposed the town is to lava flows,' said Magnús Tuma Guðmundsson, professor of geology at the University of Iceland.

Where has been affected?

Thousands of earthquakes have been caused by a massive build-up of magma in a nine-mile fissure.

The fissure is around 3.5 kilometres northwest of Grindavik, a town of 4,000 people on the Reykjanes peninsula which has been evacuated.

How likely is an eruption?

The Icelandic Met Office said on Wednesday that the 'probability of an eruption is still considered high'.

How bad could it be?

Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management agency, said experts are 'really concerned about all the houses and the infrastructure in the area'.

John Smellie, a volcanologist at the UK's Leicester University, said lava flows 'relatively slowly, and people can generally at least drive away or run away from it.'

He said this means that deaths are unlikely.

The eruption could be more violent if it blows through ice or water.

If it occurs in the southern tip of the fissure, which is underwater, it could cause ash clouds that would affect flights at Iceland's international airport.

Different to 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption?

Any eruption is not expected to have anywhere near as much impact as the one from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010.

That eruption shot huge amounts of ash into the atmosphere, forcing the cancellation of some 100,000 flights and leaving more than 10 million travellers stranded.

It exploded through 200 metres of ice, making it 'highly violent', Smellie said.

The interaction with the water created more fine ash particles that would then drift across Europe.

The latest eruption threat is 'completely different situation' Smellie said.

Marc Reichow, a geochemist at Leicester, said it is 'unlikely to happen this time as there is no substantial amount of ice in the area where an eruption is expected to occur'.

• A 104 ton bulldozer has been sent to the area near the Svartsengi power plant to dig defensive trenches.
• The Caterpillar D11, set off on a truck under police escort in the early hours of this morning.
• It will be used to build three-mile-long dykes which will am to disrupt any lava flows and stop them from destroying key buildings.

An Icelandic town is continuing to sink with gaping chasms tearing apart buildings and roads, as magma gathers just a few hundred metres beneath the surface amid the prospect of a volcanic eruption.

Read the full story here:

• Iceland's Met Office says 400 earthquakes have been recorded since midnight.
• A 104 ton bulldozer, Iceland's biggest, is being dispatched to dig three-mile long trenches as part of lava defences.
• Large parts of Grindavik are without electricity, with technicians unable to get into the deserted town.
• Some residents are expected to be allowed to be allowed to re-enter the town's 'red zone' to collect belongings.