Shock as children allowed to play on landslide in Burton Bradstock (From Thisisdorset)

Shock as children allowed to play on landslide in Burton Bradstock

11:30am Monday 13th February 2012 in Latest By Harry Hogger

The children playing on the landslide

A MAN has told how he watched on in amazement as a mother let her three young children play on the site of a recent landslide on the Jurassic Coast.

Paul Stockwell, from Weymouth, said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing when he came across the children clambering over rocks at a landslip at Burton Bradstock.

He said he and his wife Lynne had just been for breakfast at the Hive Beach Café on Saturday morning when they went to inspect, from a safe distance, the rockfall that had occurred on Friday.

Landslips along the Jurassic Coast are commonplace and fresh falls attract fossil hunters.

But the areas can be perilous to explore and rescuers are frequently alerted to people trapped in mud, cut off by the tide or injured by falling debris.

The area at Burton Bradstock has now been taped off and people have been warned to keep away.

Mr Stockwell, who took a picture in a bid to warn others, said: “We thought we would go and have a look at a safe distance, as quite a lot of other locals were doing. I was absolutely astounded when I saw the children.

“I couldn’t believe it.

“The mother just let the children go right up to the cliff face as well. It was totally unbelievable.”

Mr Stockwell said the youngest child, who had been in a pram, was standing with his mother by the rocks while the other two – who he believed were only around three-years-old – were clambering all over the fallen boulders.

He said: “The father then turned up and he didn’t make any attempt to get them off.

“It was just unbelievable.

“I was just totally gobsmacked how anybody could put their children in that much danger.

“It was still fresh and when they came down one of the youngsters actually went up to the cliff face and was pulling down rocks.

“It was absolutely amazing.”

Mr Stockwell added that if the children had been involved in any accident rescue teams would also have been placed in danger when they came to their aid.

He added: “Any further movement of the cliff face would have resulted in the death or serious injury of one or more of these children.”

Watch officer for Portland Coastguard Philip Chappell said officers had been up to the scene on Saturday to tape it off and warn people against venturing into the area but they were limited as to what they could do.

He also strongly urged parents: “Please warn your children not to play on the landslip site.

“If it’s slipped once there is nothing to stop it slipping a second or even a third time.

“It’s obvious the cliff is unstable so our message to parents is please advise your children not to play on it.”

Mr Chappell added that the coastguard will be liaising with West Dorset District Council today to discuss making the site safe.

Chairman of Burton Bradstock Parish Council Graham Moody backed the coastguard warning.

He said: “I would say be very, very careful and don’t let young kids on there.

“Be aware that you could easily break a limb, if not worse.”

• SENIOR warden at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre Meirel Whaites, right, said that landslips can happen at any time of year along the coastline and warned about the dangers of areas where there have recently been rockfalls.

She said: “Just because one section may have fallen down that doesn’t mean there is not more material to fall down.

“It may not come down in just one go.

“Children or any members of the public playing or using that area should keep well away from the cliff area because you just don’t know, it might just be a small trickle but it could be followed by a huge great lump of rock which goes with no warning.”

• Mother Amanda Currie knows only too well the dangers of children playing in areas where there has been landslips after her son Callum, who was 10 at the time, had to be rescued after getting stuck up to his waist in mud following a landslip at Charmouth last year.

She urged anyone thinking of going near the area of the landslide to reconsider.

Mrs Currie said: “I would just say keep well away.

“Please just don’t go anywhere near it.”

She also stressed the need for the authorities to make sure there is clear signage in place warning people of the dangers.