Beachy Head: Belle Tout lighthouse path cut off by fall

The cliff fall has destroyed an access footpath to the Belle Tout lighthouse

A significant cliff fall has taken place at Beachy Head.

Tonnes of chalk have fallen on to the beach below the cliffs, near Eastbourne, East Sussex.

The fall has cut off an access path to the Belle Tout lighthouse, which is now used as holiday accommodation.

Owner David Shaw said: "One of the guests reported a noise like thunder and subsequently there was a big chalk cloud. In the morning we saw what had clearly been a very major chalk fall".

HM Coastguard said the size of the fall illustrated the dangers of going too close to cliff edges, following a recent surge in people leaning over them.

The lighthouse, which was decommissioned in 1902, had already been moved due to coastal erosion, a situation Mr Shaw described as "a constant worry".

"It averages out at about 60cm (2ft) a year. You get large falls and then go for a number of years and nothing much at all.

Several tonnes of chalk fell suddenly on to the beach below

Mr Shaw said he believed this fall was triggered by recent torrential rain and strong winds, and that his property is secure for a few more decades.

"I'm trying not to panic. At the lighthouse we're about 20m (65ft) away [from the cliff edge]. It's hoped we'll have 20 or 30 years, maybe 40 if we're lucky, to go before we need to panic".

Local resident Paul Collins said it was a reminder of how dangerous the cliffs can be.

"We've lived with the erosion for years but when you see a great fall like this, particularly when you've driven up this road which is no longer there, it's very alarming," he said.

"It's a salutary reminder to those who do come up here, please don't stand too near the edge."

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