Visitors have been warned to stay away from the edge of crumbling cliffs on the Sussex coast.

Grazyna Hammond captured the moment a cliff collapsed on a beach near Birling Gap at about 5.45pm yesterday.

Over the summer The Argus reported that people had been flocking to the area with the continued hot weather, and many of them have been pictured standing too close to the edge of eroding cliffs.

At the time, a spokesman from the Lewes District Council, said: " The East Sussex chalk cliffs are unstable and crumble without warning at any time of year.

"We would remind anyone heading to the coast to stay well away from cliff edges and bases, and to follow the advice of the signs and posters highlighting the dangers displayed along cliff-top walks, bus routes, at visitor car parks, tourist information centres and on community notice boards throughout the year."

Chunks of the cliffs have been falling for some time, in March 2023 a chunk of the Seven Sisters cliffs fell after cracks were spotted in the cliff face.

Sections of rock from the cliff were left lying on the Birling Gap beach following a yellow weather warning was issued for Sussex.

In November 2023,  The National Trust, which operates the Birling Gap Visitor Centre, took down the front section of the building that used to house the café due to safety fears over the continually eroding cliffs. 

Photos taken on 23 October following the cliff collapsing on the beach (Image: Dan Jessup)

At the time a National Trust spokeswoman said: “Through the course of this year we’ve been moving our café and visitor centre to the rear of the building, so that we can adapt to coastal change here and continue to welcome visitors to the café here.

“The visitor building here at Birling Gap sits on a shoreline that's constantly changing due to rising sea levels, erosion and weathering.

The cafe's front section being taken down in 2023 (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) "These natural processes have been occurring for centuries and have shaped Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters that are seen here today.

"The National Trust takes a long-term view to planning for the future by working with these coastal processes where possible.”

Prior to that in 2022 rope fences were installed at cliff edges in the county to encourage visitors to stay away from the precarious cliff edges.