Fire lit at base of cliffs known to collapse

Four people were given advice by the coastguard after a fire was lit on a beach below a cliff at Birling Gap

The coastguard has been called to Birling Gap beach after a fire was lit at the base of a crumbling cliff.

Four people were seen at the fire near Eastbourne, in East Sussex, at 18:10 GMT on Tuesday.

It was in the area where a large chunk of chalk cliff fell last month.

Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Team said it had extinguished the fire and the four people then left the area.

The coastguard said: "We provided coastal safety advice to four people at Birling Gap beach after a report was received at about 18:10 of a small fire being lit.

"The people relocated safely and the fire was extinguished."

In November, work began on demolishing part of a nearby National Trust visitor centre because of its proximity to the unstable cliff edge.

The trust is investing £150,000 in the visitor centre to protect it from coastal erosion.