Charities are celebrating a council's decision to lift its ban on abseiling along a stretch of coastline.

Lewes District Council says the fund-raising activity can resume from the cliffs of Peacehaven for six months each year - as long as birds are not found nesting nearby.

Councillors rejected a proposal to limit abseiling to September and October after charities told them it was unworkable.

Abseiling was suspended in 2001 after heavy rainfall caused major cliff falls, forcing the council to close the access steps and undercliff walks.

Stabilisation work was carried out and access reopened but the council decided to suspend events while it considered its long-term policy.

Peacehaven Town Council and some local residents called for a permanent ban but charities said there was no alternative site in the area and urged the council to let them continue.

In the three years before the ban, about 600 people took part in sponsored abseil events at Peacehaven Heights near Bastion Steps, raising more than £15,000 for local charities.

Charities such as Adventure Unlimited, which organises fund-raising abseils, agreed other sections of cliff needed protecting but insisted Peacehaven Heights was ideal for the activity.

They argued the chalk cliff there had been cut back, eliminating the risk of rockfall and there were no ledges for birds to nest on.

After months of consultation with all parties, councillors have agreed a new policy.

Council officers are to liaise with representatives of English Nature and the RSPB each March and April to assess if there are any breeding pairs of birds nesting in the immediate vicinity of Bastion Steps.

If nesting birds are present, abseiling will be restricted to September and October. If not, the activity will be permitted from May to October.

A sign will be erected on the cliff top warning abseiling is for supervised groups only with the consent of the district council and reminding users to park in a way that respects local residents.

The director of planning and environmental services will also consult local residents at the end of the abseiling season to establish its impact on the community.

Paul Jarvis, director of Adventure Unlimited, said: "It is a great asset for charities. This is a sensible decision.

"Part of the problem was with individual people coming down, not only abseilers but climbers with axes, and that probably dislodged rocks.

"But when they suspended activities they suspended the responsible people who weren't doing things like that.

"What they need to do now is ensure organised groups can use the site while deterring these individuals from returning."