Swanage Landslip calls

Portland MRCC and I took calls from concerned members of the public who reported people still walking within the beach closure.

The closure put on by several agencies was to minimise the risk to users of the beach yet it continues to be ignored.

The risk of further slippage and rock falls remains high especially with further rain tomorrow.

To the individual or individuals that continues to rip down the barrier tape, you could be committing an offence as you are hindering the Emergency services in their duties.

The signs and tape are their for a reason......the beach is closed, a rare and unusual situation however one put in place for safety reasons.

Finally a short message to the two individuals who sparked the most calls today.

Standing on top of your beach hut digging at the Landslip to remove clay from your doors is not (in our opinion and others) the safest or best idea at present.

1) The clay is still moving and what you remove will probably be back shortly.
2) You are putting the emergency services at risk
3) You are putting yourselves and other members of the public at risk
4) The clay you have thrown on the beach will now mix with the sand in the heavy rain and make a mixture similar to quick sand (as we have found further up)
5) A reminder that the slip directly above you moved with no warning, silently and with some force although you shouldn't actually be there note the concrete smashed up on the beach?




The several tons of rock and earth above the beach hut are sitting in a thin film of water which acts as a lubricant.  As the cliff above becomes more saturated and therefore heavier, it puts increased pressure on the earth below and it will only be a matter of time before a huge dump lands exactly where this individual is standing.  We have observed falls like this several times over the last few days and it all happens very quickly, silently and with no warning.

Photo:  Ben Sturch, copied from a Swanage community page on Facebook.  Our thanks to the photographer.