One of Britain’s most iconic coastal landmarks, Durdle Door in Dorset, has been closed to the public following severe winter storms that rendered its access unsafe.
The renowned stone arch is now inaccessible after the lower section of its 143 wooden steps, built into the rapidly eroding 200ft cliffs, collapsed.
Further damage to the beach itself, a magnet for half a million visitors annually, has seen tonnes of shingle washed away by rough seas.
That has left a hazardous expanse of jagged rocks exposed.
A red ‘Danger: No Access’ sign has appeared at the top of the cliffs while major works take place to get the major tourist attraction ready for the spring.
The wooden steps were only installed two years ago after previous winter storms caused them to be buried under clay and mud in a landslide.
Countryside rangers and volunteers built new flights of stairs and reinforced the banks with shuttering.
But such is the speed of coastal erosion that their hard work has already been undone following the recent extreme weather.
The Lulworth Estate said they do not know when they will be able to reopen the beach, but safety is their “highest priority”.
Attempts by members of the public in recent years to get down to the beach by taking a short cut to avoid the steps have ended in tragedy.
Tahira Jabeen, 46, a mother of two from Birmingham, fell 60ft to her death at the beauty spot in June 2021.
The Lulworth Estate, which owns Durdle Door, posted on their website: “Recent storms along the Jurassic Coast have caused significant disruption to coastal access which has prompted a temporary closure of the steps to Durdle Door beach as the safety of visitors remains the highest priority.”
A Lulworth Estate spokesperson added: “Weather conditions may continue to affect the coastline and the Lulworth Estate team encourages everyone to exercise caution and respect temporary closures put in place for public safety.”
The closure of the beach is the latest example of storms wreaking havoc on the Jurassic Coast Unesco World Heritage Site.
Earlier this month, thousands of tonnes of rock and mud slumped onto the beach in Charmouth, Dorset, taking with it a chunk of the popular South West Coastal Path.
The 30ft wide section of the 450ft tall cliff has split away from the mainland and is now about 20ft lower than it.
The fall has acted like a ‘push-penny arcade game’ and sent huge piles of mudflow below it to slide down to the beach below making it impassable.
