- Visitors were urged to take care at Charmouth Beach following the huge rockfall
- Were YOU at the beach? Contact matt.drake@mailonline.co.uk
Dozens of beachgoers flocked to a 'very dangerous' Dorset beach just hours after tonnes of rocks collapsed from a cliff landslide.
Visitors were urged to take care at Charmouth Beach following the rockfall at around 7.30am this morning, close to where a teenage boy was rescued by coastguards on Friday evening.
Despite the risk of further falls from the unstable cliffs, multiple people were spotted close to the fallen debris.
People are urged to avoid the area of the collapse and experts warn that another landslip could happen at any moment.
Phil Davidson, a palaeontologist from the Charmouth Heritage Centre, said: 'When we arrived we saw the aftermath. It came down about 7.30am this morning and bits are still falling - it's very dangerous - stay well away from the exposed cliff line.
Visitors were urged to take care at Charmouth Beach following the rockfall at around 7.30am this morning. Pictured, visitors around the site of the recent collapse despite warnings
People are urged to avoid the area of the collapse and experts warn that another landslip could happen at any moment
Fossil hunters are pictured out in force searching the rock and clay. There has been several collapses in recent weeks following storms
'All the rain we have had this winter and spring is seeping through the mud and clay, we will probably end up with some more landslides.
'As it's a fresh fall it will be sticky if you try and climb over it, and you could twist an ankle and get stuck.
'People should also check the tides as there is a danger of getting cut off from the tide.
'In some ways, we are lucky it happened at 7.30am in the morning when no one was on the beach and not yesterday when the beach was packed.
'We have had the coastguard down this morning to take a look at it and the Jurassic Coast Fossil Warden is here to give people warnings.'
A 14-year-old boy got stuck on the cliff at around 5pm on Friday while looking for fossils - just 50ft away from this morning's rockfall.
It prompted a major rescue with two teams of coastguards and two teams of firefighters attending to get the boy down, who was stuck 36ft up the cliff.
A paraglider flies over the new large landslip on the cliffs of Stonebarrow Hill which is partially blocking the beach at Charmouth
Despite the risk of further falls from the unstable cliffs, multiple people were spotted close to the fallen debris
Thankfully he was safely returned to the beach and his family.
Anna Woolcott, the heritage centre's education warden, was at the centre on Friday when the cliff rescue happened.
She said: 'They were very high up and climbing up the shale, which is very loose, especially after all the rain we have had, the cliffs are more likely to collapse.
'We would never advise anyone to climb them, this whole coastline is really dangerous.
'It is a real testament to the fire services and coastguard, as without their support, the rescue could have ended differently.
'We would advise people to look for fossils on the shingle, away from the cliffs, as this is where 90 per cent of the fossils are found.
'If anyone wants advice on fossil hunting and the safest places to find them and what to look for, they can come to the heritage centre as we are open every day and can give advice.'
Concerns are growing over public safety at the famous Jurassic Coast after thousands of tons of rock collapsed last week.
Pictured in 2023. Recent extreme weather has seen thousands of tonnes of rock fall from the area around Burton Bradstock
One of Britain's most iconic views is the Dorset coastline which stand at 140ft tall and is more than 180 million year old
In 2012, tourist Charlotte Blackman, 22, was crushed to death when a huge landslip occurred as she walked under the cliffs at Burton Bradstock
One of Britain's most iconic views is the Dorset coastline which stands at 140ft tall and is more than 180 million years old.
Recent extreme weather has seen huge chunks of rock fall onto the beach around Burton Bradstock.
Images of the rockfall show boulders the size of double-decker buses resting on top of a 50ft pile of debris.
Baroness Brown, member of the UK climate change committee, argued that although we must protect public safety the 'last thing you want to do is to be putting in place engineering structures' as 'all those things are unsightly'.
The area, which is where the popular ITV show Broadchurch was filmed, experienced significant rockfall after a battering from Storm Kathleen, which saw 600 tonnes fall off the cliff face last Monday.
The cliffs are made up of sandstone rock that is porous and acts like a sponge with rainwater which seeps down through and weakens the stone over time.
At the same time, strong waves whipped up by storms batter the base of the cliffs which also destabilises them.
In 2012, tourist Charlotte Blackman, 22, was crushed to death when a huge landslip occurred as she walked under the cliffs at Burton Bradstock.
Leo Henley-Lock, Countryside Manager for the National Trust in West Dorset, said: 'The coast and cliffs along this stretch of the Jurassic Coast are unstable and naturally liable to landslips and falls at any time without warning.
'We would urge people to take the time to read warning signs in car parks and footpaths and follow their instructions so they can enjoy the coast safely.
'People should always stay well back from the cliff edges, whether on or below them, and we ask people not to visit to view the slip as secondary slips may occur without warning.'
