Dogs rescued from cliff fall at Watergate Bay, Cornwall

The rescue operation was described as "complex"

Two dogs have been rescued after falling about 98ft (30m) down a cliff.

The springer spaniel and beagle were brought to safety in the early hours of Tuesday morning, in a "complex rescue operation" by coastguard rescue teams and two RNLI lifeboats in north Cornwall.

The dogs were lost in the area at 21:00 BST on Monday, Padstow Coastguard said.

A spokesperson warned dog owners to keep all dogs on leads at all times on the coast path.

Two cliff technicians were sent down the cliff face to retrieve the animals

The coastguard said they were called at 03:30 BST on Tuesday to support Newquay coastguard search and rescue team, who were attending an incident north of Watergate Bay.

A senior coastal operations officer from Falmouth was called as well as Newquay's RNLI Lifeboats to "provide safety cover and monitoring just offshore".

Two cliff technicians were sent over the cliff and rescued the dogs in separate animal rescue bags, before reuniting them with their "relieved owners".

The Padstow Coastguard spokesperson said: "This was a complex operation for the coastguard rescue teams.

"If you are walking your dog on the coast path, please ensure that it is secured on a lead at all times, no matter how "trustworthy" you think he or she is," the spokesperson said.

They added that the primary role of coastguard rescue teams attending such incidents is to prevent an accident or injury to the owners and not specifically to recover the animals.