Five large cliff falls in one day on east Devon coastline

Huge plumes of red smoke were pictured by residents. Credit: Jurassic Paddle Sports

There have been five large cliff falls in one morning along a stretch of East Devon coastline.

People captured pictures of dust plumes and clay as it was falling from the cliffs between Sidmouth and Salcombe Mouth on Sunday 22 August.

Beer Coastguard Rescue Team shared a photo from Jurassic Paddle Sports and posted a warning on Facebook.

It read: "Cliff falls this morning, please stay away from the base of cliffs and take note of the signs, they are there for a reason."

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People in local community groups on Facebook were quick to criticise tourists for being on the beach.

One user said: "This seems to be happening far too frequently now. The local authorities need to be on top of this. Without a doubt there is going to be a disaster before long."

Another defended people being on the beach and said: "Although this is silly, not all tourists are completely aware of the dangers of the rock and cliff deterioration locally… Let’s all look out for each other instead of just pointing it out."

The area in East Devon is notorious for dangerous cliff falls and signage advises visitors to keep well away from the area.