Festive walkers urged to take care after dramatic footage of cliff falling away in Sussex

'Intense rainfall will often make cliff edges more vulnerable,' coastguards warn

Walkers are being urged to take care over the festive season after dramatic footage emerged of a cliff collapse in Sussex.

Coastguards are warning festive walkers to be careful when walking after heavy rain has made chalk cliffs highly unstable.

It comes after Gavin Wilyman captured the moment huge areas of cliff plunged to the ground in Seaford.

Mr Wilyman said: “I’ve seen countless people standing right near the edges and walking below.

“This cavalier attitude towards personal safety is purely because the public don’t understand how weak chalk cliffs are, especially after rain like this.”

Coastguards have issued advice calling on walkers to stay on official paths along the coast and to look out for warning signs.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokesperson said: “Periods of intense rainfall will often make cliff edges more vulnerable. We’ve seen a number of cliff collapses around the coast in recent months.

“It’s very clear that cliffs are very unstable in places. We really can’t stress enough how important it is to keep back from the edge. There is no ‘safe’ place to be.

“Some of the cracks that have appeared have been several feet away from the edge.”

They added: “Please enjoy your coastal walk, but make sure you and yours come home again safely during the festive period. As ever, our message is, ‘Keep safe, but if you see anybody in trouble or if you get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard’.