VISITORS are being urged to stay safe after a rock fall crashed onto a busy beach.

Emergency services were called to East Beach in West Bay at around 7.40pm on Tuesday evening, after a kayaker witnessed the ‘medium to large’ fall from the water.

Coastguard rescue teams from West Bay and Lyme Regis, the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, Dorset Police, the NPAS police helicopter, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and Devon and Somerset Urban Search and Rescue Team were all sent to the area to establish if anyone was caught in the cliff fall. South West Ambulance Service was also called to the scene.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was called and helped police to search. The police helicopter searched the pile of rocks with an infra-red camera.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

The scale of the rock fall, Picture: NEIL BARNES

The spokesman for the MCA said: “We worked with the police and the fire and rescue service to do an in-depth search of the area. We have found nothing at present.”

On Wednesday morning, Dorset Police said they had ‘no record of anyone sustaining any injuries and we do not have any information to suggest anyone was trapped under the rubble.’

At 10am on Wednesday, the MCA announced that the multi-agency search of the area including a specialist urban response team and a dog unit had been called off. They said there was ‘no suggestion’ that anyone had been caught in the landslip and the beach was re-opened.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

Emergency services inspecting the scene, Picture: NEIL BARNES

Peter Davies, duty controller at the UK Coastguard, said: “The cliff fall is an example of just how unstable cliff edges can be.

“The incident could have had a very different outcome, and fortunately no one was seriously hurt or worse.

“We want everyone to enjoy our beautiful coastline but we want you to do it safely. Please keep you distance from cliff edges both at the top and at the bottom, as cliffs really can crumble without warning.”

Sam Rose, Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site manager, reminded visitors to the coast to stay safe.

He said: “The fall has come from mid-way down the cliffs and not the top, so as far as we are aware the coast path is not affected.

“Rockfalls like this at West Bay and Burton Bradstock are entirely unpredictable and so these words have a particular strength at this location. Also, please do not go just to look at this, it is not a tourist attraction, and there are no fossils to be found in the rocks there - pop up the road to Charmouth where you will definitely have more luck.”

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

The aftermath of the rock fall, Picture: NEIL BARNES

'A large cloud of dust'

EYE witnesses have spoken out after seeing the rock fall spreading out across the beach and into the sea at West Bay.

Doug Chalk was fishing when he saw the rock fall take place. He said that musicians performing on the pier were drowned out by the noise of rocks crashing to the ground.

He said: “I was fishing on the pier and heard the bang and looked along the cliff. It was still sliding down the beach with a large cloud of dust. 

“As far as I could see, there was nobody right there at the time, luckily.

Jane and Ron Wilkins, on holiday in West Bay from Doncaster, were on the beach when the rock fall took place.

Mrs Wilkins said: “We heard this deafening noise and then saw what looked like a puff of smoke.

“It might sound stupid, but we didn’t really think that the cliff would come crashing down onto the beach. Everyone was a bit stunned by it all. It was a bit of a shock, and luckily no-one was hurt as it could have been worse.” 

Gem Gilbert was also on the beach at the time of the rock fall.

She said: "Whilst I was sat down eating tea on the beach, I saw people pointing to the other end of the beach.

"While this was all going on, the beach was very busy and people were in the sea.

"A short while after the rock fall, we had finished eating our tea and went to walk round to the other side of the beach. This is when we could hear two fire engine sirens. We then walked back and half the beach has been closed off with a rescue helicopter circling above and the service men and ladies telling people to stay away.

"It wasn't until the rescue services turned up that people had realised what had happened."