The epicentre hit near the city of Almeria

The quake hit at 7.13am this morning, at a depth of two kilometres, according to the country's National Geographic Institute.

The Mail reported that tremors were "felt in more than 50 towns including the popular tourist resort of Alicante".

The epicentre was just a handful of kilometres off the Spanish mainland and 70km from the city of Almeria.

Alerts were sent to the phones of people in the area, making local populations aware of the situation, as reported by outlet Sur.

As per the Mail, tourists and local were awoken by a "strong" and "surprisingly long" quake.

One person wrote on social media: "In Roquetas De Mar it was very noticeable and it lasted a few seconds, the whole hotel room was shaking."

One British ex-pat living in Almeria described the incident as "pretty scary to say the least" and that the tremors gave her a "rude awakening".

Another person living in Almeria said "the whole house shook" when the quake hit.

Tremors were also reported in the Malaga, Granada and Jaen areas, as well as in the Levante region which includes Murcia, Alicante and Albacete.

There have been no reports of injury of damage so far.