Part of cliff collapses onto beach in Cornwall where couple were standing minutes before
Gareth Saddler started filming after hearing a loud bang at Porthtowan on Tuesday
Last updated 14th Oct 2021
The dramatic moment a couple watched part of a cliff COLLAPSE on a Cornish beach has been caught on camera.
Gareth Saddler and his partner were walking away from the cliffs and back to their car at Porthtowan when the incident unfolded.
Gareth pulled out his phone and started filming after hearing a loud bang on Tuesday (12th October).
Seconds later, a huge chunk of rocks and rubble came crashing down onto the beach.
Gareth shared the footage as warning to other beach-goers and walkers about the dangers of coastal erosion.
Gareth said: "There were still signs of stones and top soil still coming down and I just took my phone out and said I wonder if I can get anything else. And then it just unfolded in front of us. We were stood there like a minute/two minutes before that; we were stood there turning round to come back to the car.
"We were stood there. We were stood there with a couple and their dog, literally a minute/two minutes before it happened and it happened so fast. It makes me question whether or not we would've have been able to get out the way if we were there; it's just so frightening".
Gareth added: "We put signs up saying 'danger, falling rocks', yet you see people camped out right underneath those signs.
"It's a stark warning you know. That video footage is absolute evidence that this thing can just happen at any time; it happened so quickly as well".
A section of HM Coastguard's sea safety page is dedicated to the dangers posed by crumbling cliffs.
It says: "Cliffs can be more unstable than they look, and cliff falls/landslides can happen without warning. Take note of warning signs, don’t climb fences to get to the edge and never climb the cliff as a short cut to the top".
You can read more coastal safety advice on the HM Coastguard website.