Huge chunk of rock at Seven Sisters cliffs falls onto beach

Huge chunk of rock at Seven Sisters cliffs falls onto beach after cracks appeared and sparked urgent alert from the public to stay away

A huge section of a cliff has collapsed after a crack appeared at Seven Sisters
Officials have warned the public to stay away from the cliffs after the collapse

A huge chunk of rock has fallen from Seven Sisters cliffs onto the beach below as officials warned the public to stay away.

Cracks several metres long appeared on the cliffs in East Sussex near Seaford earlier as rescue services issued warnings.

An alert was issued to urge walkers to stay away from the rocks amid fears there could be further collapses.

Warnings have previously been issued in the area, where a number of cliff falls have occurred in the past few years.

In 2021, a huge collapse at Seaford Heath created a massive pile of debris on the sea front.

A pile of rubble can be seen where a section of the Seven Sisters cliffs in East Sussex collapsed earlier today

Members of the public are now being urged not to walk on top of or underneath the cliffs at Seven Sisters.

Severe wind and rain is thought to have eroded the cliffs, creating splits in the rock face which eventually fell away completely.

A yellow weather warning was issued for Sussex on Monday, as the region was battered by winds forecasted at up 65mph.

In January, Berling Gap beach was also closed over fears of another cliff collapse.

East Sussex County Council said cliffs in the area could fall without warning after cracks form in their surface.

South Downs National Park Authority told the public to: ‘Stay well away from cliff edges and bases. It’s simply not worth the risk.

‘Given the unstable nature of chalk, cliff falls happen at random as part of natural coastal erosion processes.’

HM Coastguard also issued a warning to anyone who might try and take a selfie next to the dramatic, but dangerous cliffs.

A spokesperson for the Coastguard said: ‘It could be the last photo you ever take’.

They added: ‘Periods of intense rainfall will often make cliff edges more vulnerable.

‘Cliffs can be more unstable than they look, and cliff falls, or landslides can happen without warning.’