Walkers warned of further cliff falls at beach

Part of a cliff has fallen away and is on the beach below. Wooden steps and structures can also be seen.
Access to this part of the beach from the cliff above has been cut off by the council [Bev Reynolds]

Access to part of a beach has been closed off after a "fairly major" cliff fall and walkers have been warned to steer clear of the area in case it happens again.

Part of the sandy cliff fell away at the west side of Mundesley Beach in Norfolk on Friday afternoon.

Steps and a sloping access to part of the beach, and the car park off Seaview Road have been cordoned off, although the main beach is still open.

Posting on Facebook, North Norfolk District Council said coastal engineers had visited the site, adding: "Walkers are advised to steer clear as there may be more activity over the weekend."

A metal barrier is across a pedestrian access point to a beach. A sign on the barrier says: "Potentially dangerous structure - keep clear." Steps down the cliff can be seen in the background and the roofs of houses near the edge of the cliff are also visible.
A barrier and cordons have been erected to prevent access to part of the beach [Bev Reynolds]
Part of a cliff has fallen away and is on the beach below. Wooden structures can also be seen on the sand.
Part of the sandy cliff fell on Friday afternoon [North Norfolk District Council]

A significant landslip in December 2021 at the beach was blamed on excessive groundwater, rather than erosion by the sea.

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Bev Reynolds, chairwoman of Mundesley-on-Sea Parish Council, said the same appeared to be the cause this time.

"This cliff fall is fairly major," she said.

"It's to do with the saturated ground and water run-off from all the rain we've had - it's nothing to do with the sea."

Reynolds said council officials had visited the site and put up barriers and cordons preventing use of the access points to that part of beach.

She said the area was likely to remain closed over the weekend and an engineer's report would be considered by the district council on Monday.

The BBC has contacted the coastal management team at North Norfolk District Council for more information.

Parts of a cliff are now on the sand after falling. There are wooden structures on the beach
A report on the damage is expected to be seen by the council on Monday [North Norfolk District Council]
A clifftop view shows where the cliff has fallen on to the beach below. The waves are lapping at the sand
A view from above shows how the slip has covered part of the sea defence barrier that runs along the base of the sandy cliff [Bev Reynolds]

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