08/05/2008 01:13:00
The World Heritage Jurassic Coast in Dorset has suffered the area's biggest landslide in 20 years.
Beginning with a perceptible rumble on Tuesday night, the situation escalated until chunks of land were tumbling into the sea off Dorset. The Independent reported that by Wednesday (7 May), a 400m section of the coast between Lyme Regis and Charmouth had fallen foul to the landslide.
The protected south west England coastline forms part of the Jurassic Coast - a 95-mile stretch between Dorset and east Devon. The area was England's first Unesco World Heritage site, and features 150 mile-high cliffs containing 185 million year old fossils.
While landslides of this nature often attract fossil enthusiasts, West Dorset District Council is warning gatherers to stay away from the beach until the cliff is entirely stable. Portland Coastguard Watch assistant, Simon Palmer, indicated that saving the public from harm was the primary concern. He said:
"The problem is that keen fossilers will descend because it will turn up a lot of new fossils.
"Our biggest concern is the danger to members of the public putting themselves in danger by getting underneath these potentially hazardous lumps of rocks."
Residents of Lyme Regis - 29 miles west of Weymouth - are calling for methods to stop further coastal erosion, such as blockades on the cliff face. However, this proposition contested by Richard Edmonds, earth science manager of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage team, who believes it would not be in the best interests of the protected coastline. He told The Independent:
"Our concern is that the reason this coast is celebrated is that it is eroding, and if you cover it in rock it will look like Torremolinos,"