A beautiful thatched cottage in Devon has been left on the brink of disaster after a series of major rockfalls means it is now teetering on the cliff edge.
The white, conical roofed property is now just 40ft from the sheer drop at the eroding Sidmouth cliffs in Devon, along the Jurassic coast.
Aerial photos capture how huge sections of the 185 million-year old cliffs have already given way in recent months, leaving the homeowners at nature’s mercy.
A few hundred yards further along the coast, thousands of tons of debris plummeted to the ground near Jacob’s Ladder just last weekend.
The popular South West coastal path has since been closed for safety reasons and East Devon Council warned people to ‘stay away from the unstable cliffs’.
Most at risk is the conical-shaped property, set in a large garden close to the cliff, but a row of thatched cottages behind it are also now in the danger zone.
Rocks were sent flying after a huge cliff collapsed just metres away on the beach last weekend, prompting an urgent warning from safety bosses.
The large cliff fall came as rocks and mud were dispersed across the beach from the cliffs near Jacob’s Ladder in Sidmouth, Devon, after recent heavy rainfall.
East Devon Council issued an alert cautioning people to ‘stay away’ from the cliffs, adding there is a continuing danger of falling rocks as they remain ‘unstable’.
Beer coastguard team investigated the fall at Peak Hill on the weekend and closed the south west coastal path.
The post from East Devon District Council added: ‘Following a cliff fall at Jacob’s Ladder Beach in Sidmouth, we’d like to remind visitors to keep their distance from cliffs along the East Devon coastline.
‘Cliff falls are a natural and unpredictable occurrence along the East Devon coast.
‘This is because the rock from which the cliffs are formed is soft, and therefore prone to rock falls, and landslides, which can happen at any time.’
The danger follows a previous incident in the seaside town of Bournemouth, Dorset with a video shared online showing the moment a man came inches away from being wiped out by a landslide from a nearby cliff off the path at Durley Chine.
Terrifying footage shows the huge chunk of dirt and a tree giving away and slipping from the cliff before a two rows of beach huts are swept.
BCP council confirmed the landslide had happened due to recent heavy rainfall.