Fossil hunters urged to not search cliff falls

After weeks of wet weather, fossil hunters are being urged not to risk their safety by searching the remains of recent cliff falls.

There have been a number of landslides along the Dorset coast in recent months due to the large amount of rain - including at Stonebarrow, near Charmouth, on Wednesday.

This can lead to cliffs opening up and prehistoric fossils being exposed, with people often combing the areas to locate the relics.

But Grant Field, from Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, warned fossil hunters to stay "well clear" of cliffs due to the risks of landslides and rockfalls.

"It's up to people to really apply their own common sense with these sorts of things, and unfortunately sometimes that is a bit lacking at times," he said.

"Going out there, do just keep a good distance - it's not like lightning, you're not going to get struck twice."

Field explained that Charmouth was a particular hotbed for landslides, and therefore fossil discovery, because the cliffs were "slightly tilted out to sea".

He said: "That means that as the rain comes down and goes through those rocks it's all washing down towards the sea, so with that it does bring some instability."

He said the area had seen "quite a few cliff falls" so far this winter due to persistent wet weather and multiple storms.

"Last year was a really, really dry year, so there wasn't too much movement on the cliffs," he added.

"But the wet weather does have that real tendency to ring with it, some pretty sizeable movement."

"You hear about it every few weeks - just new bits slipping away and going out into the sea."