Skip to content

'Foolish' people given Newquay rock fall safety warning

BBC BBCBBC
Rock falls are common along the north Cornwall coast

People are being warned to "stay away from the base of cliffs" in Cornwall after recent rock falls.

There have been a number of falls on Newquay's Great Western Beach caused in part by stormy weather and heavy rain.

Councillor Joanna Kenny said members of the public can be "quite foolish" when choosing to walk underneath fragile cliffs.

Rock falls have also been reported in West Bay, Dorset, and Watcombe Beach near Torquay, Devon.

There are concerns about building developments close to parts of the Newquay coast with the Environment Agency (EA) projecting the cliffs to recede by seven metres in the next 100 years.

Police Great Western Beach road landslidePolice
About 100 tonnes of debris fell on to the road leading to the Great Western Beach in Newquay in 2015

The EA said rock falls "appear to be on the increase" due to climate change.

Mrs Kenny, who has helped develop a plan for restricting future developments near cliff tops at Newquay, said: "Members of the public can be quite foolish.

"When we had a big rock fall we went down to inspect it and people were coming along and sunbathing, leaning back against the rocks that had come down, and we told them 'you do realise these things come down without warning and you are straight underneath it'."

Cornwall Council advised people to "act sensibly when visiting the area and to stay away from the base of the cliffs when walking on the beach", adding: "Cliff falls and erosion are natural processes and part of this changing landscape."