Eype rock fall: Cliff on South West Coast Path collapses

A large section of cliff at Eype has fallen on to the beach below

A section of cliff on a coastal path popular with walkers has collapsed.

The large rock fall at Eype, near West Bay in Dorset, happened late on Saturday, days after officials warned that a 90m (295ft) crack had made the area "extremely dangerous".

A fence has been erected around the damaged area and the South West Coast Path, which runs along the top of the cliff, has been diverted.

Cliff-top walkers and beachgoers have been urged to avoid the damaged area.

The area had been monitored for the past three weeks as it had shown signs of collapse, Dorset Council said

Dorset Council ordered the closure of a 200m (660ft) stretch of the cliff-top last week after it began showing signs of collapse.

In a statement, it said the rock fall, which happened amid heavy rainfall and strong winds, had been expected.

Tara Hansford, countryside access development officer at Dorset Council, said "tens of thousands of tonnes" of rock had given way in the latest collapse.

"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," she said.

"We have a winter of weather ahead of us, so this is by no means the end of the story.

"There were reports at the weekend of people walking on the beach directly below - this is unwise when the cliff continues to crumble."

Ms Hansford added that an alternative path directing walkers away from the dangerous part of the cliff had been provided by landowners Highlands End Holiday Park.