'Incredibly dangerous' amateur fossil hunters blasted for scouring collapsed cliffs at Pakefield

Amateur fossil hunters have been seen scouring the base of a cliff where high tides caused a section of road to crash down on to the beach below it, prompting a safety warning.

Officials said people had also been removing the cordons that had been set up at Pakefield, on the Suffolk coast, and standing close to the recently eroded edge.

"This is all incredibly dangerous," warned a spokesman for Coastal Partnership East, which oversees the management of the Suffolk and Norfolk coast.

"The area remains unsafe and there is the possibility of further cliff collapse."

High tides and winds caused a large section of the cliffs at Pakefield, near Lowestoft, to collapse overnight between Friday and Saturday.

Several people had to be evacuated from their caravans at the holiday park in Arbor Lane having been left dangerously close to the edge when a section of road fell onto the beach below.

A member of the public later discovered what was initially thought to be an exploded bomb at the base of the cliff, on the same stretch of beach, at around 12.20pm on Saturday.

"Please stay away from the area unless it is absolutely necessary to visit, and in the unlikely event that you do need to be in this area, please respect the cordons and avoid stand near to the edge or the base of the cliffs."

In an update on Monday, East Suffolk Council said building control officials had been in touch with caravan park owners to tell them more caravans and their bases would need to be removed from the receding cliff top.

Coastal Partnership East and the council's building control team remain at the scene while the assess the area and work out their next steps.

Hemsby in Norfolk was also hit by the high tides where several properties are perilously close to the edge of the rapidly eroding cliffs.

Part of a crucial access road to The Marrams collapsed into the sea and there was also significant damage to Hemsby Gap area and the surrounding dunes, with some homes left without electricity as power lines were brought down.

The Norfolk and Suffolk coast has been regularly battered by the tide in recent years.

In 2017, a man was killed when a section of the cliff at Thorpeness, to the south of Pakefield, collapsed on to the beach below.