Rescue workers discover body following landslide

Emergency workers searching for a young woman reported missing following a landslide at a beach in Dorset have discovered a body.

Search crews had been searching for the woman after 400 tonnes of rock collapsed on top of her as she sat on Burton Bradstock beach with her family yesterday afternoon.

Dorset Police confirmed the body of a 22-year-old was located at around 9.40pm.

Next of kin have been informed and the search operation has been stood down, the force added.

Police, the fire service, ambulance service and the coastguard were all called to deal with yesterday's landslide, which hit at around 12.30pm just 400 yards from the Freshwater Beach Holiday Park.

It thought the missing woman was on the beach with her family and other holiday makers who were enjoying the hottest day of the year so far.

The cliff top fell away along a stretch of the Jurassic Coast well known for landslides. Large crowds gathered at the beach as news of the landslip, which occurred just after 12.30pm this afternoon, spread. It is about 400m from Freshwater Beach Holiday Park.

Emergency services believe the heavy rain over the last few weeks combined with the recent heatwave caused the landslip.