Drone images reveal massive cliff fall on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast

Cracking photos! Incredible drone images taken just days apart reveal scale of massive cliff fall on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast after 300ft-wide chunk of rock collapsed into the sea

  • Large cracks appeared on coast path close to cliff face between Eype and West Bay, Dorset three weeks ago
  • On Sunday a 300ft wide section of the cliff collapsed with boulders the size of car rolling down to the sea
  • Geologist Dr Richard Edmonds said this is believed to be the first major landslip at Eype for over 20 years
  • Suggested that strong winds and rainy weather caused the collapse rather than erosion by the sea

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These before and after photos taken just a few days apart reveal the extent of a dramatic rockfall on Britain’s Jurassic Coast.

The images show how a 300ft wide chunk has been taken out of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Eype, Dorset.

The collapse of tens of thousands of tonnes of earth has also wiped out a section of the South West Coast Path which now suddenly drops away into an abyss of rock and mud.

Local drone photographer James Loveridge took images of the beauty spot last week after large cracks began to appear at the top of the 200ft cliff.

Experts warned that a large rockfall was imminent and the local council cordoned off the cliff top and diverted the the path 30ft inland.

Then on Sunday morning the ground gave way with boulders the size of small cars plummeted down the cliff.

These before and after photos taken just a few days apart reveal the extent of a dramatic rockfall sent thousands of tonnes of dirt crashing towards the sea on Britain’s Jurassic Coast

The images show how a 300ft wide chunk has been taken out of the UNESCO World Heritage Site between Eype and West Bay in Dorset

Experts warned that a large rockfall was imminent and the local council cordoned off the cliff top and diverted the the path 30ft inland

Experts warned that a large rockfall was imminent and the local council cordoned off the cliff top and diverted the the path 30ft inland

Experts warned that a large rockfall was imminent and the local council cordoned off the cliff top and diverted the the path 30ft inland

Mr Loveridge returned after the event to capture the startling like-for-like images.

Members of the public have now been warned to stay away from the area as the cliff is still unstable.

Fossil hunters are also being urged to resist the temptation of combing over the huge heap on rocks that are millions of years old.

Tara Hansford, countryside access development officer at Dorset Council, said: ‘As predicted a major section of this cliff has fallen equating to tens of thousands of tonnes.

‘I cannot emphasise enough that this area is still very unstable, and the cliff continues to crumble with material consistently falling and the potential still for larger areas to fall.

‘We have a winter of weather ahead of us, so this is by no means the end of the story.

‘There were reports at the weekend of people walking on the beach directly below – this is unwise when the cliff continues to crumble.’

It is believed to be the first major landslip at Eype for over 20 years.

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Then on Sunday morning the ground gave way with boulders the size of small cars plummeted down the cliff

Geologist Dr Richard Edmonds said: ‘The last movement there was about 20 to 25 years ago which gives an idea of how significant this is’

Fossil hunters are also being urged to resist the temptation of combing over the huge heap on rocks that are millions of years old because of the instability of the ground

Geologist Dr Richard Edmonds said: ‘The last movement there was about 20 to 25 years ago which gives an idea of how significant this is.

‘There is a big fault in the ground with the geology very different from one side of the cliff to the next, which may have contributed to the fall.

‘A lot of falls come from the sea washing away the support at the base of the cliff but it doesn’t look like that’s what’s happened in this case.

‘I think it’s more to do with rainy, windy weather which has caused such a large part of the cliff to slide.’

The area of the coastline is prone to landslips due to its geology of a mix permeable limestone at the top of the cliff and impermeable clay beneath it.

When winter storms occur rain seeps through the limestone and gets to the clay, which adds weight to the cliff and lubricates it, causing a landslide.