Giant section of cliff falls in landslip

A large section of cliff has crashed on to a beach in a landslip.

Eyewitness Laura Hagan saw the rocks come down at Seaham Hall beach, near Ryhope in County Durham, at about 10:00 GMT on Tuesday.

She said: "Nobody would stand a chance in there. A lot of families and children go into the caves but don't realise how dangerous and unstable the cliffs are."

Durham County Council said coastal engineers were visiting the site to assess the area.

Ms Hagan said: "I was walking and videoing my dog, when I heard some scree falling and then the whole lot just came down.

"I was there 'til around 11:45 and it was continuous... a lot more is ready to come down."

Durham's drainage and coastal protection manager Brian Weatherall said: "We would encourage everyone to stay away from the cliff edges and avoid the area where the landslide has occurred as the material may be loose and unstable."

The Durham coast can suffer from landslips - last November, part of the path along the seafront at Seaham collapsed.

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