UK Coastguard issues cliff safety message after last night's cliff fall at Seaford


Copyright Eddie Mitchell
Last night a large scale search and rescue operation was launched after a cliff fall at Seaford Head, near Newhaven.
Newhaven Coastguard and Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Teams, the UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Lydd, along with the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) and Sussex Police carried out an extensive search in case anybody might have been caught in the fall. The search was stood down at around 8pm after nothing was found and no one was reported to be missing or overdue.
Last night's cliff fall prompted multiple 999 calls to the Coastguard which is the right thing to do if you see this happen on the beach you're on. The cliffs along the UK coastline are continually eroding and we’ve seen a number of cliff collapses in recent months - last night's fall was several thousand tonnes. It’s impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be. It’s very clear that cliffs are very unstable in places and we really can’t stress enough how important it is to keep back from the edge. There is no ‘safe’ place to be.
Copyright Eddie Mitchell

When standing at the bottom of a cliff, we would always advise people that they shouldn’t stand less than the height of the cliff away. That means that if the cliff is 25 metres high, don’t go closer than 25 metres towards it. Don’t be tempted to go and investigate and don’t risk going to the edge to get a dramatic picture. One of our biggest problems is tackling the ‘selfie culture’ where people take risks to get a dramatic photograph of themselves on a dangerous cliff edge – no selfie or photograph is worth risking your life for.

Grateful thanks to Photographer and Drone Pilot Eddie Mitchell for letting us share this photograph at Seaford last night.

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