A massive landslip has dramatically reshaped a section of the Jurassic Coast, weeks after a significant 300ft crack emerged in the cliff face.
Thousands of tonnes of rock and mud have collapsed onto Charmouth beach in Dorset, obliterating a chunk of the popular South West Coastal Path – England’s most-visited National Trail.
A 30ft wide section of the 450ft tall cliff has detached from the mainland, now resting approximately 20ft lower than its original position.
The fall has been likened to a ‘push-penny arcade game’, propelling huge mudflows down to the beach below and rendering it impassable.
The incident marks the latest in a series of substantial rockfalls along this rapidly eroding stretch of coastline.
Experts believe the dramatic movement in the 175-million-year-old cliffs is a direct consequence of weeks of relentless rainfall.
Coastguards are urging members of the public, especially fossil hunters, to keep away from the base of the cliffs as another landslip could happen at any time.
They have closed the stretch of coastal path at Stonebarrow and the beach below to prevent future tragedies.
“It’s very impressive. If you go down to the beach in Charmouth there’s now a pile of mud and trees which stretch out to sea,” fossil hunter Chris Moore said.
“I looked from the top and about 30ft of coastal path has gone, as the front of the cliff has dropped by anything between 5ft and 50ft down the cliff face.
“It is a bit like one of those arcade games, push penny things, where the top slips and it pushes every layer below which eventually ends up on the beach, replenishing it with fossils.
“The next bout of rain we get, they are going to slip further down the cliff, so people should never stand on the cliff edge and also should look out for any lines or tears in the grass which means that a section is about to go.”
Dorset Council had been monitoring the area for movement for some time after a large crevice appeared on the land at the top of the cliff several years ago.
A council spokesperson said: “There’s been a large cliff fall and mudflow at Stonebarrow, Charmouth.
“The coastal path is currently closed and we are working on a diversion.
“Rockfalls and landslips can happen at any time.
“The Jurassic Coast is a Unesco World Heritage Site recognised for its outstanding rocks, fossils, and landforms.
“It is a 95-mile long stretch of coastline within the counties of Dorset and Devon.
“It looks the way it does because of erosion from weather and the sea. Rockfalls and landslips are part of the movement which makes up the unique nature of this coastline.”
A few miles west at Lyme Regis, boulders continue to fall from the delicate cliff face and onto the beach below which has been closed off.
And coastguards are monitoring an ‘active and ongoing’ landslip taking place on the 150ft cliffs above Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis.
A spokesperson for Lyme Regis coastguard said: “We strongly advise all members of the public to stay well clear of this area. Do not attempt to climb the slip or walk near the base of the affected cliffs.
“The cliffs along the Jurassic Coast are naturally unstable and can crumble without warning.”
In 2012 holidaymaker Charlotte Blackman, 22, was crushed to death by a rockfall as she walked under the cliffs further along the beach at Burton Bradstock.
