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Experts are fearful that a volcano in La Palma could be about to erupt after 40 tremors in just 48 hours at the popular tourist hotspot.

There are concerns that if the volcano blows, it could spark a mega tsunami which would affect Britain, as well as Spain and the US' east coast.

La Palma, in the Canary Islands, has been rocked by dozens of small tremors measuring between 1.5 and 2.7 on the Richter scale.

And it could well be a sign that the active volcano Cumbre Vieja could be set to cause devastation.

Panic has spread among the 86,000 residents on the island after the largest tremor hit on Saturday afternoon, approximately 17.4 miles below ground.

(Image: Universal Images Group) (Image: Hulton Archive)

It measured 2.7 on the Richter scale, and was followed almost exactly 24 hours later by a magnitude 2.6 tremor, before a third of 2.1 hit on Monday at midnight.

Maria José Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute on the island, said a similar seismic 'swarm' has never been recorded to this date on La Palma.

Despite the frequency of tremors, residents and tourists staying on the island did not feel the earthquakes - due to their depth underground.

The volcano's last two eruptions occurred in 1949 and 1971, a gap of just 22 years.

(Image: Hulton Archive) (Image: Getty)

But this doesn't mean another eruption is due, as previous to these two dates, the last historical eruption occurred in 1712.

If it was to blow, Cumbre Vieja could cause a mega tsunami . Some experts believe the volcano is in the initial stages of failure, meaning a big enough eruption could cause a massive landslide to enter the Atlantic Ocean.

It could result in waves as high as 600m, travelling at around 450mph meaning the African coast would be submerged within an hour, and the southern coastlines of the British Isles in just three and a half hours.