Dramatic moment huge rock fall narrowly misses scores of sunseekers on Broadchurch beach
The beach had been packed with people enjoying the sunny weather as well as dog walkers and fishermen
THIS is the moment a massive rock fall narrowly missed scores of people sat on a busy beach.
Part of the cliff at West Bay in Dorset - made famous by ITV crime drama Broadchurch - collapsed without warning, sending huge boulders crashing on to the beach below.
Coastguards have today issued fresh warnings to stay away from unstable cliffs following the rock fall.
At the time the beach was teeming with visitors enjoying the sunny weather as well as dog walkers and fishermen.
Several people dashed out of the way of the dramatic landslide but luckily police, coastguards and the ambulance service confirmed nobody was hurt.
The fall sent plumes of brown dust into the air and left a large pile of boulders lying at the foot of the 200ft sandstone cliifs.
A kayaker paddling out to sea was the first to spot the landslip and dialled 999 from his boat at 7.40pm last night.
related stories
Six fire engines, two coastguard crews and several police cars raced to the scene to cordon off the beach and establish if anyone was trapped.
Police and coastguard helicopters were also scrambled and used infra red cameras to try and detect any human life under the rocks but found nothing. A police dog unit was also used for the search.
After five hours of searching and with no reports of any missing persons, the emergency services called off the search.
The fall happened on the same stretch of beach where tragic Charlotte Blackman, 22, from Derbyshire, was crushed to death by a similar sized rock fall in 2012.
Witness Gemma Gilbert was on the beach at the time of last night's fall.
She said: "I went down to the beach to make the most of the lush weather.
"Whilst sat down eating tea on the beach I saw people pointing to the other end of the beach. At this point I reached for my phone and took a photo just as the rock and rubble fell into the sea.
"Whilst this was all going on, the beach was very busy with people enjoying the evening sun, couples like me and my boyfriend and families having barbecues on the beach.
"A short while after the rock fall we heard sirens and the beach was closed off and a rescue helicopter circled. The emergency service people were telling people to stay away.
"I wasn't sure if anyone had been injured at the time but thankfully that was not the case."
There have been several landslips on the same stretch of coast since 2012 and signs warning members of the public not to stand or sit too close to the cliffs are prevalent in the area.
Peter Davies, of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "The cliff fall is an example of just how unstable cliff edges can be, the incident could have had a very different outcome, and fortunately no one was seriously hurt or worse.
"We want everyone to enjoy our beautiful coastline but we want you to do it safely, please keep you distance from cliff edges both at the top and at the bottom, as cliffs really can crumble without warning."
Chief Inspector Steve White, of Dorset Police, said: "We would like to remind people that the cliffs remain unstable and it is possible further rock falls could occur. We urge the public to obey warning signs, not to stand near the edge of cliffs or stand directly underneath them.
"Landslides and rock falls can happen at any time and without warning."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368