A search has been made for large bursts of radio emission at 151.5 MHz from the direction of the Crab Nebula. In 605 hr of observation, no events exceeding a flux of 1.4 × 10 −22 W m −2 Hz −1 were detected. This therefore sets an upper limit for the energy in radio pulses from the direction of the Crab Nebula which might be associated with the events recorded in the gravitational wave experiments of Weber. Implications of the results with regard to ‘strong pulses’ and phase fluctuations in the periodic emissions from the pulsar NP 0532 are also examined.