Oblivious tourists ignore warnings & pose for photos on edge of crumbling & ‘very fragile’ 400ft cliff in UK beauty spot

NewsUK News TOURISTS have been blasted after people were seen posing for photos on the edge of a crumbling cliff with a 400ft drop. Selfie-loving visitors were standing just inches from the edge of the “fragile” chalk cliffs in Birling Gap, East Sussex. Selfie-loving visitors were standing just inches from the edgeCredit: Refer to source The cliff has a 400ft drop to the beach below Credit: Eddie Mitchell The cliffs are “very fragile and can collapse without warning” said the National Trust, who manage the popular beauty spot. This follows a similar warning for nearby viewpoint Seaford Head which is also part of the famed white Seven Sisters cliffs. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Some 600,000 walkers head to the trail with constant sightseeing tours enjoying the dramatic coastline. However, the soft chalk is riddled with deep tension cracks and huge sections regularly break away and crash onto the beach below. The cliffs at Birling Gap are ‘very fragile and can collapse without warning’Credit: Refer to source Visitors are urged to stay at least five metres back from the edge Credit: Eddie Mitchell Janice Dykes, of the National Coastwatch, told the BBC: “It might look like a lovely walk from the top, but they can’t know what is under their feet from the top.” She added: “Some cracks can be 10m (32.8ft) or 15m (49.2ft) long.” Visitors are urged to stay at least five metres back from the edge while taking in the views. Despite that, people were seen venturing dangerously close for photographs. Most read in The Sun The local council has urged tourists to take care as the edge is “extremely unstable”. A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council said: “Every year, thousands of tons of chalk falls from the cliffs. “Despite warning signs, people often stand near the edge. Chalk cliffs are extremely unstable and can fall at any time. “People underestimate the risks they are taking.” The danger has become so severe that even the nearby Seaford Head Golf Course is being forced to change its layout. Parts of the historic links course sit beside the eroding cliff edge and repeated collapses have left golfers playing dangerously close to the drop. Early this year the coastguard was called to rescue nine people and a dog from Birling Gap beach after a section of the cliffs collapsed. The group were left stranded after the stairs down to the beach were damaged by the cliff fall. Both families and the dog were winched to safety after the collapse in January. Comment now