A huge cliff fall has narrowly missed beachgoers on a stretch of coastline in Devon. Stones, rocks and boulders rained down onto the beach near the seaside town of Budleigh Salterton on Saturday, July 26. Two people who were left stranded by the collapse had to be rescued by lifeboat crews.
James Walters, who saw the cliff fall, estimated that thousands of tonnes of rock came down. He said police, lifeboat and coastguards rushed to the scene and the coast path had to close. Sidmouth Lifeboat described the fall as “significant”, adding it searched for anyone caught in the “fall zone”.
It said lifeboat crew members found several people stranded on “the wrong side” of the cliff collapse and two people were removed to Budleigh Beach.
The organisation thanked volunteers and the agencies for their swift resonse, adding: “Please remember: cliffs along this stretch of coastline are unstable. Keep a safe distance from the base and the edge, and follow all local safety warnings.”
Exmouth Coastguard Rescue said Devon County Council decided to close sections of a coastal path in the area. It urged people not to ignore the closures and avoid the area.
Cliff collapses can happen for a number of reasons, including the impact of the weather and waves. The type of materials that make up a cliff can also have an influence on falls, with clay collapsing at a faster rate than granite.
Earlier this month, part of cliffs at Seatown in Dorset collapsed onto a beach. That collapse prompted warnings more could come down and for people to stay away.
National Coastwatch Institution’s Lyme Bay manager, Judy Clark, told the BBC at the time that people shouldn’t walk near the edge or base of cliffs.
She said they also shouldn’t sit at the bottom of cliffs, adding cliffs can be unstable especially after heavy rain and very dry weather.
A dramatic cliff fall in Sidmouth sent beachgoers dashing into the sea to avoid harm in August last year. Warning signs had been erected in the area, but these were evidently ignored by some.
Danish national, Hans-Petter Bjørnestad, who was visiting at the time, said at the time that the collapse had made a sound like thunder.