BRITS are being warned against travelling to an island in Portugal after it was hit with more than 1,100 earthquakes in just 48 hours.

The island of Sao Jorge, one of nine islands in the Azores, reported earthquakes as high as 3.3 on the Richter scale.

With more than 8,400 people on the island, the Foreign Office has since warned against all but essential travel to the island.

They said: "The Portuguese Civil Protection authorities in the Azores have been monitoring an increase in seismic activity on the island of São Jorge since 19 March.

"As a precaution, they have now activated their earthquake prevention plan and have advised against all but essential travel to the island."

While the island's volcano Urzelina last erupted in 1808, authorities are monitoring the situation, due to fears it could erupt similar to the eruption of Cumbre Vieja in La Palma last year.

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The island's volcano surveillance centre CIVISA has since raised the volcano alert to level 4 out of 5, which means there is a "real possibility of eruption" according to the Civil Protection authority's Clelio Meneses.

Emergency evacuation plans include the military and air force on standby along with a navy vessel, while the Portuguese Red Cross is sending beds to the island.

People are also advised to have a backpack full of emergency supplies ready in case the island has to be evacuated at short notice.

CIVISA head Qui Marques told local media they were "monitoring the situation" but was too early to know what pattern the earthquakes would follow.

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He said: "Right now, our concern with this system is the same concern that we should have with any active volcanic system.

"We have an active volcanic system that currently has a seismic crisis. We will continue to monitor it."

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