Tourists have been spotted dicing with death as they stand precariously close to the edge of a beauty spot on the south coast.
Pictures show people standing mere footsteps from the jagged edge of cliffs at Birling Gap, the coastal hub where the South Downs in East Sussex meets the sea.
Despite being a local, attractive beauty spot, the crumbling chalk cliffs have famously claimed hundreds of lives over the last 50 years. And recent weather has made the location even more dangerous than usual, with rain having saturated the grassy cliffside.
But that hasn’t deterred visitors, who unknowingly took their lives into their own hands this weekend.
Photos taken of the area today show tourists crowded at Beachy Head, with one person seen with their foot on the grassy ridge and poking their head out from the edge.
Geologists claim that cracks underneath the ground stretch back some 10 metres, meaning large parts of the cliff could come away at any time.
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Another snap shows a couple attempting the same feat while standing cautiously further back.
Others can be seen taking photos and idling nearby, with another person standing on a section of the cliff and gazing out to sea.
Authorities have long warned people to stay far back from the cliff edge, which is prone to collapse.
In late 2020, a section of Beachy Head dramatically broke away, leaving wide fissures streaking through the area.
The RNLI issued a warning after several people were captured playing around the fissures, with some captured placing their legs on the collapsing section while lying their bodies on the more stable area.
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‘It’s only a matter of time before those cliffs go’
Mark Sawyer, an RNLI coxswain, told the BBC that while the cliffs provide stunning views, it would be a “matter of time” before they collapse.
He said: “They can’t see the erosion underneath them. There’s some huge holes underneath the earth and the grass up there.”
“There’s no chalk at all. It’s a matter of time before those cliffs go.” Researchers have found that more than 500 people have died at Beachy Head since 1965.
The area’s well-known history and warnings from local authorities haven’t prevented people from playing around, however, as the latest pictures show.
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