Beachgoers pictured sunbathing beneath the cliffs at West Bay just days after a huge cliff fall have been criticised by the coastguard.

On Thursday, heavy rain triggered a huge cliff fall at West Bay – the second in the space of a week – taking away part of the coastal path.

The path at the top of the cliff is now closed to the public and there have been repeated warnings to stay away from the area, but that hasn’t stopped people risking the dangers to take photographs.

The base of the cliff had been cordoned off, but visitors to the beach on Saturday appeared unfazed by the debris around them, clambering over fallen rocks to take a closer look.

Roger Sutherland, from Portland, visited West Bay on Saturday with his wife and, shocked by what he saw, captured these photos.

Mr Sutherland said: “My wife and I visit West Bay a lot and I’m always interested in what’s happening along the cliffs. I didn’t want to go too near it because of the rock fall but I saw people standing right at the edge on the top.

“All of the warning signs and people were taking no notice whatsoever. I saw people right on the bottom and I was thinking that could still reach you if there was another rock fall. Still, they took no notice.

“There was netting along the edge but people were still lying at the bottom near the fall. It’s ridiculous. That cliff could go at any time, especially given the weather we have had with the rain and then the heat. People don’t seem to care; the people at the top were taking pictures.”

The footpath at the top of the cliff is closed between West Bay and Freshwater, while netting is in place around the rock fall at the base of the cliff. While the coastguard cannot enforce the closure, it will be the first point of call for anyone who gets hurts.

A spokesman for West Bay coastguard said people are putting their own lives at risk, as well as the lives of the emergency services.

They said: “By ignoring the warning signs people are putting themselves at extreme risk by putting themselves in a place of danger that has been closed for safety reasons.

“We would strongly urge all members of the public to adhere to the closure and not to climb on the rock fall. People are putting themselves at risk and the coastguard and police have to put their own officers at risk for public stupidity to help people if they get hurt.”

A misconception is that the cliffs are home to fossils. The spokesman added: “People climbing through the rock fall are not going to find anything. It has been closed so don’t put yourself at extreme risk.”