No new damage to city following aftershocks this morning

The overnight aftershocks in Christchurch, including a 5.5M at 5.45am this morning have not caused any new damage to the City, Christchurch City Council says.

A power outage in the Brooklands, Burwood area affected a small number of pump stations but these are now operating. Water supply is not affected and any one who does not have water should ring the Council call centre on 941 8999 or 0800 800 169 .

Mayor Bob Parker, says the latest quakes have rattled residents but that people needed to remain calm, and be assured that everything was being done to ensure key services remained operational.

"We have staff on stand-by ready to react quickly if the situation requires it. It's not a great start to a new year, but everyone is working hard to ensure we have a resilient and safe city in the future."

"I've heard that because several of these quakes have been offshore, some people are concerned about the possibility of a tsunami, but I'd like to reassure them that this is highly unlikely. The advice we have received from GNS is that the faults offshore are short in length and not likely to generate a significant tsunami. The sea inundation to land is low risk, probably not more than a storm surge," he said.

Council facilities are being checked early this morning to make sure they can open as normal. At this stage Pioneer, Jellie Park and Graham Condon Recreation and Sports Centres are all open today.

Anyone who is feeling distressed or overwhelmed by the aftershocks and needs extra help to cope with the situation can call the Canterbury Support Line on 0800 777 846 between 8am - 11pm seven days a week.