Sunbathers warned to stay off crumbling cliffs as temperatures increase

Sunbathers have been warned to stay off of crumbling cliffs as summer approaches.

Birling Gap is part of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs in East Sussex. The steep cliffsides overlook beaches below in one of the longest stretches of undeveloped coastline in south England.

The coastguard warns walkers and sunbathers to avoid the precarious edge and "keep safe and stay away from cliff edges and bases" but crowds gather nonetheless.

This is despite a large crack appearing last week in the cliffs near the Belle Tout lighthouse, which has already been moved once due to coastal erosion.

In 2021, tonnes of chalk cracked off a nearby cliff and fell on the beach below. At the time, the coastguard said this showed the dangers of tourists getting too close to the cliff's edge.

Pictures from February show groups of tourists on the Birling Gap cliffs taking photos and chatting close to the edge.

In 2017, 50,000 tonnes of chalk crumbled at nearby Seven Sisters and fell onto the beach below. The following day a 23-year-old South Korean tourist, Hyewon Kim, fell to her death when she jumped in the air for a picture and lost her footing.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency say erosion could be 'small rocks or as large as a car', adding there is 'no safe place to be'. Geologists warn that cracks can stretch back 15 metres into the cliffs.

This comes as temperatures increase across the UK, with the summer approaching. Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: "The sunshine is getting stronger every day.

"It will still be pleasantly warm during the days as we go through next week if you're not exposed to that wind. There's hints maybe it turns again a little bit warmer towards the end of next week.

"It's probably a little bit too early to say exactly how warm, but I'd say probably at least above average for most."