Moment huge section of cliff collapses onto beach at beauty spot in South Tyneside
- The cliff face gave way on Marsden Beach, South Tyneside, yesterday afternoon
- Samantha Lawson, 29, recorded the collapse as she walked with her partner
- Police and Coastguard launched a joint operation to ensure the area was safe
This is the terrifying moment a huge section of cliff collapsed on to the beach at a popular beauty spot.
The cliff face gave way at Marsden, South Tyneside, yesterday afternoon as onlookers watched in disbelief.
Samantha Lawson, from Jarrow, had been walking along the beach with her partner Lewis and dog Vinnie and caught the rock collapse on camera.
The 29-year-old said it started with a few small rocks falling before another part of the cliff then gave way.
She added: ‘We were just walking from the Marsden Grotto steps, as we do every weekend, and Lewis always says that it won’t be long until the cliff gives way.
‘Then, all of a sudden, a few tiny rocks started to fall so I started to video it and the whole cliff just gave way.
‘I give out a bit of a nervous laugh in the video as I was a bit concerned for the dog, we always throw rocks on the beach for him as he likes to chase them, so I thought he was going to run over to it.
The cliff face gave way at Marsden, South Tyneside, yesterday afternoon as onlookers watched in disbelief
Samantha Lawson, from Jarrow, had been walking along the beach with her partner Lewis and dog Vinnie and caught the rock collapse on camera
‘Thankfully we weren’t any closer to the cliffs and I think it is quite fortunate that no one was really on the beach at the time as it is usually pretty busy.
‘It’s just crazy that we were able to catch it on camera.’
Samantha later raised the alarm with the emergency services and Northumbria Police launched a joint operation with the Coastguard to ensure the area was safe.
A force spokesperson said: ‘We took part in a joint operation with the coastguard to assess the area.
‘The coastguard have checked it over and it has been deemed safe to members of the pubic.’
Northumbria Police has since launched a joint operation with the Coastguard to ensure the area was safe following the collapse
Sunderland Coastguard spokesperson added: ‘Cliffs can be more unstable than they look, and cliff falls/landslides can happen without warning.
‘Take note of any warning signs, don’t climb over fences to get to/or approach the cliff edge and never climb the cliff as a short cut to the top.
‘Tragedy could easily occur if any of the above advice is ignored.’
South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade also attended the scene.
Officials say the footage highlights the dangers of going close to the cliff base and warn people to stay at least ten meters away.