Dramatic moment beachgoers cheat death as tons of rock plummet to the beach

Footage shows rocks and mud crashing down the side of the cliffs at West Bay, Dorset, on Tuesday

Beachgoers were seen running their lives when a section of a 150ft cliff came crashing down beside them.

Rocks and mud began trickling down from the sandstone cliff at West Bay, Dorset, on Tuesday.

Dramatic footage shows three people standing on the shore at West Bay in Dorset when the cliff began to crumble, sending debris falling into the sea.

One person appears to be photographing the World Heritage Site as it starts to crumble, covering him and two others in dust as they run away.

The clip was shared on the Facebook page for Dorset Council after the collapse.

One person wrote: “I don’t understand how these people can hang around on the beach directly under cliffs that are obviously extremely unstable.

“If they were caught in a landslip of this scale, and the tide was in and their escape route was gone, they would undoubtedly be buried alive.

“It’s not hard to understand the very real danger of walking along the beach under these cliffs.”

Beachgoers narrowly escaped the collapse at West Bay in Dorset (Dorset Council)

Another wrote: “Dorset Council, surely time to close that beach. It’s only a matter of time. A working quarry would not be able to stay open with unstable faces.”

But in their response, the council explained “it’s not that simple”, adding: “The landownership is complex, there is also the right to coastal access in law.

“There is also the logistics - how would we close it? Remember it is a UNESCO world heritage site.”

The incident is the latest in a series of rockfalls that have occurred at the tourist hotspot in the last three months.

Rangers have temporarily closed the South West Coast Path for six months and the area will be inspected by the councli later this week.

Rangers have temporarily closed the South West Coast Path for six months after the incident on Tuesday (Dorset Council)

Known as the Jurassic Coast’s Golden Gateway, the cliffs date back 185 million years and stretch for almost 96 miles.

The section at West Bay appeared in the ITV crime drama Broadchurch, starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman.

Daniel Knagg took the footage as he stood on the beach facing east. The fall came after recent periods of torrential rain, followed by warm weather.

Geologist Richard Edmonds said: “When you have had a lot of rain you can expect falls but it’s very unusual in August so it is partly down to the weather we’ve had.

“There was also quite a big stormy sea last week with 14ft high seas at West Bay, swells are very damaging to the cliffs, so that is probably a contributing factor.

“Two of the landslides at Lyme Regis are moving and creeping forward at the moment, which I’ve never seen in August, it’s very unusual.

The fall came after recent periods of torrential rain, followed by warm weather (Dorset Council)

“There’s always a risk of landslides and rockfalls but it does seem to be quite an extraordinary year, we’ve had a whole series of unseasonal falls.”

Sam Scriven, of the Jurassic Coast Trust, said: “The cliff has been undermined by the sea and gravity has caused a piece of the cliff to fall vertically down.

“It is soft sandstone that will disintegrate and will be swept away within a few weeks.

“Rockfalls are dramatic and higlight the hazards of the coastline.

“But it is what the coast does. It is natural. This is the coastline forming as we watch.”

Dorset Council said “these people had a lucky escape” and warned if you are under a rockfall, “the likelihood is you will die.”

A spokesperson said: “Rockfalls and landslips can happen at any time.

“The South West Coast Path above the cliff at West Bay is currently closed.

“We urge people to stay away from the edge of the cliff top, stay away from the base of cliffs.

“Pay attention to warning signs, check tide times before setting off to avoid being cut off by incoming tides and keep dogs on leads near the cliff edge.”