Climber Craig Harwood died on storm-damaged cliffs near Bude

Craig Harwood on a previous climb at Bosigran near St Ives

Storm-damaged climbing routes on the north coast of Devon and Cornwall contributed to an experienced mountaineer's death, an inquest heard.

An inquest heard climber Craig Harwood expressed concerns just before he fell 25m (82 ft) near Bude last September.

Another climber was killed last month about 10 miles north, at Gull Rock, police said at the hearing in Truro.

Expert witness Phil Matthews said there could be similar problems all along the north coasts of Devon and Cornwall.

Coroner for Cornwall Dr Emma Carlyon recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mr Harwood, 53, a fell runner, marathon mountaineer and chairman of the British Mountaineering Council huts committee, died from multiple injuries.

'Even more dangerous'

Mr Matthews said all the equipment used by Mr Harwood, from Macclesfield, and his co-climber Paul Headland, was in good condition.

He said winter storms of 2013-14 had caused parts of the cliff to collapse and meant climbs listed in guidebooks had changed substantially.

"This could happen at pretty much any venue in north Devon or north Cornwall," he said.

Mr Headland told the hearing Mr Harwood, who was leading the climb, expressed serious concerns moments before he fell.

"I can only imagine the rock was just such poor quality," said Mr Headland.

Iain Peters, author of the North Devon and Cornwall Climbing Guide, told the inquest the guide book was currently being rewritten which would take account of recent geological changes.

He said the area around Compass Point was "even more dangerous now than Mr Harwood and Mr Headland climbed there,"

Mr Peters said seven out of eight climbs in the Compass Point area had "disappeared" and he advised climbers to "steer clear".