WORRYING pictures have emerged of a group of people camping on the edge of a west Dorset cliff.

The pictures were taken on Tuesday, March 30 and depict two tents set up on the edge of a crumbling cliff in Burton Bradstock. Warning signs are set up in the area to ensure residents do not go close to the edge of the 150 foot cliff.

This comes just months after a section of the cliff at Burton Bradstock crumbled away in a rock fall last December.

The landslip was the third major cliff fall on the stretch of coast in the latter half of the year.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "We received a report of people camping in two tents in the area of Cliff Road in Burton Bradstock, in breach of Covid-19 restrictions.

"Officers attended at around 1.30pm and gave words of advice to the occupants, who confirmed they were leaving imminently.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: Several cliff falls have occurred in the area recently Picture: Graham HuntSeveral cliff falls have occurred in the area recently Picture: Graham Hunt

"We would urge people to continue to comply with the Covid-19 regulations that are in place.

"Our officers will continue to be out in our communities - engaging, explaining and encouraging people to act responsibly. We will take enforcement action where necessary."

The picture was taken close to where a young woman was killed by a rockfall in 2012.

Heavy rainfall has made cliffs along the coast unstable and further rockfalls can happen at any time.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: Signs are in place in the area, warning the public of rockfalls Picture: Graham HuntSigns are in place in the area, warning the public of rockfalls Picture: Graham Hunt

Geologists have previously warned that the Jurassic Coast's cliffs 'remain totally unpredictable.'

Multiple rock falls have occurred recently with rocks crashing down onto the coast between Hive Beach and Freshwater Beach in late August and a large section of cliff near West Bay collapsing in November.

Speaking at the time of the West Bay rockfall, Tara Hansford, countryside access development officer at Dorset Council, said: “I cannot emphasise enough that this area is still very unstable and the cliff continues to crumble with material consistently falling and the potential still for larger areas to fall. We have a winter of weather ahead of us, so this is by no means the end of the story."