Hundreds of tonnes of rock cascaded from a 250-million-year-old cliff onto a beach in Sidmouth, Devon, creating an 80-foot pile of debris and a large cloud of red dust. The rockfall occurred just meters away from unsuspecting sunbathers.
Kristopher Perry, who captured footage of the incident, was about 25 meters away when the rocks fell from the cliff face. He described the event as the biggest rockfall he had witnessed and noted that approximately 10 rockfalls occurred within an hour that day. A woman in the video can be heard calling the fall "absolutely mental."
Meteorological conditions are believed to be the primary cause of the rockfall, with the mudstone cliffs drying out and crumbling due to a prolonged period of hot weather. This incident occurs as nearly three-quarters of England is experiencing drought conditions, with officials warning that the dry spell is expected to worsen.
England and Wales are currently under hosepipe bans, affecting over 27 million people, following the driest July on record, which saw some areas receive only 1 percent of expected rainfall. Currently, no areas in England are considered to be in "normal" conditions.
The Sidmouth Independent Lifeboat has issued a warning to beachgoers, urging them to avoid East Beach and the base of the cliffs. A spokesperson stated that the cliffs in the area are highly unstable and further falls could happen suddenly and without warning. Visitors are advised to stay off the beach and away from the cliff base.