Dramatic moment that sees beachgoers cheating death as tons of rock crash onto the beach just feet from where they stand – despite warnings not to walk too close to the 150-foot cliff
- Three people can be seen on the sand at West Bay, Dorset, as the cliff crumbles
- A man appears to be taking pictures of the World Heritage Site
- The popular tourist hotspot is the real-life setting of ITV drama Broadchurch
This is when beachgoers cheated death when part of a 150-foot cliff collapsed right in front of them, covering them in dust.
Dramatic footage showed three people standing on the sand at West Bay, near Bridport in Dorset, as the sandstone cliff face began to crumble.
A man in an orange top appears to be taking photos of the World Heritage site as mud and rocks begin to trickle down.
Part of the cliff suddenly begins to collapse as debris falls into the sea, covering the trio in dust as they sprint away.
The 23-second clip was shared on Dorset Council’s Facebook page after the collapse on Tuesday, which has garnered more than 60 comments and 280 shares.
A man in an orange top appears to take a picture of the cliff face at West Bay, Dorset, as mud and rocks begin to crumble
One person wrote: ‘We know you have warning signs – unfortunately they are missed by many people when walking the coastal paths, please keep children and toddlers away from the edge, stay safe.’
While another asked why people still walk under the cliffs. He said, ‘Do they have brain cells? I wouldn’t go near them like there’s a rockfall (which can be very likely here) you don’t have any chance of getting rid of it.
‘Stay behind people!! Use your noggin.’
Another said the footage made them “never want to walk on that beach again.”
The cliffs – known as the Jurassic Coast’s Golden Gateway – are a popular family vacation hotspot and stretch for nearly 155 miles.
West Bay is the real-life setting for the ITV crime drama Broadchurch starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman.
Rangers have temporarily closed the South West Coast Path. The closure could remain in effect for six months, though the council said the area will be inspected later this week.
Drone footage taken two days earlier showed three retirees standing on the edge of the cliff right where the rockfall occurred.
The group had ignored safety warnings to look over the edge at the notoriously unstable ‘Broadchurch’ cliffs.
It is the latest in a series of rockfalls that have occurred at the tourist hotspot over the past three months.
In May, two teenage girls were caught taking selfies at the nearby unstable East Cliff cliffs.
The beachgoers stand next to the rubble after their lucky escape. The cliffs – known as the Jurassic Coast’s Golden Gateway – are a popular family holiday hotspot and stretch for nearly 155 kilometers
Drone photographer Daryl Gill shared the footage to draw attention to the deadly nature of the 185-million-year-old cliffs and called for the East Beach below to be closed off to prevent loss of life.
Mr Gill, who has lived at the resort for 25 years, said: ‘I was shocked to see these people up there on my drone screen.
“They were on the bit of cliff that looks like it’s about to disappear.
“There’s a sign, but people just ignore it. It’s like they don’t care.
“I used to be on that beach as a kid, but I haven’t been near those cliffs in years because it’s so scary.
“I just don’t think people understand that it could fall any minute.”
It comes just months after youngsters were photographed on the unstable Broadchurch Cliffs where there had recently been a rockfall
A month later, two young tourists ignored it and walked right past warning signs at West Bay to pose on the ledge.
It came after hundreds of tons of rock suddenly fell on the beach.
And just last month there was another rockfall on the Jurassic Coast in Seatown when thousands of tons of mud and rock plummeted from the sandstone beach, blocking it from the public and knocking down a 2,000-foot stretch.
Experts feared the collapse was only a matter of time after a crack appeared in the top of the cliff in 2021.