It is the moment that 500 tons of boulders tumble down from a Dorset coast 120ft above sea level. This scene was immortalized in TV’s crime drama Broadchurch.
In the early hours of this morning, a large section of the 120ft cliff at East Beach in West Bay, Dorset fell.
Footage captures the calm rippling sea and a large chunk of rock quickly falling to the shore below.
The sea is littered with debris that falls to the bottom and creates a layer of rubble, rock and mud.
Today’s cliff-fall aftermath left about 500 tonnes of rubble, rock, and mud on the beaches.
Coastguard officers from Lyme Regis and West Bay have taken an investigation into the collapse of the cliffs and placed a barrier at the site to prevent people getting close to the shore.
Broadchurch was an ITV hit crime drama. Broadchurch featured East Beach often in episodes.
Because of fragile sandstone rock cliffs, there are frequent rockfalls or landslips.
This morning, an extensive section of the 120ft tall cliff at East Beach (West Bay), Dorset, fell in the early hours. Photo: East Beach in Dorset
This 40-foot tall pile, which contains approximately 500 tons of rock, rubble, and mud, has left the beach covered. Pictured: East Beach, Dorset. This is where you will find landslips and cliff falls.
An estimated 600 tonnes worth of boulders and rock fell from the cliffs without warning in a December 2020 accident.
In the past rockfalls were also deadly. Charlotte Blackman (22 years old) was killed in a rockfall in 2012. It happened along the Jurassic Coast.
The latest West Bay cliff-fall is just one of many that have occurred this year along the Jurassic Coast.
After being hit while strolling along the coast, falling debris sent a woman to hospital.
In August, another incident occurred in Seatown. A massive landslip took place.
Heavy rainfall weakens porous Sandstone and leads to the breaking of 180 million-year-old Cliffs.
East Beach featured prominently in the hit ITV crime drama Broadchurch. Broadchurch, Olivia Colman and David Tennant.
Lyme Regis geologist Richard Edmonds stated that landfalls were completely unpredictable.
“We have seen them both after heavy rains and during periods of sun. We haven’t had any heavy rain in two weeks and the storm has passed.
“This is a strong reason not to go near the cliffs.”
Richard Edmonds, a freelance geologist from Lyme Regis, said: ‘It just goes to show landfalls are entirely unpredictable.
“We have seen them both after heavy rains and during periods of sun. We haven’t had any heavy rain in two weeks and the storm has passed.
“This indicates that there is good reason to avoid the cliffs.