Iconic harbour walkway closed by council after death

A council has closed part of an iconic breakwater after separate incidents in which a man died and another person was rescued from the sea.

The man aged in his 70s was pronounced dead and a woman suffered a head injury after they reportedly fell at The Cobb in Lyme Regis, Dorset, on 2 March.

Previously, on 16 February, bystanders saved someone who fell into the sea by throwing them a life ring.

Harbour consultative committee chair, Sally Holman, said the walkway surface was "incredibly slippery".

She told Dorset Council's harbours advisory committee on Wednesday the fall from the Cobb high wall was a "tragedy".

"This is the second accident that we've had there in the last two weeks," she added.

"The surface is incredibly slippery due to the overtopping of the waves with many recent storms," Holman told the meeting.

"I wonder whether some extra attention to the health and safety conditions and the condition of The Cobb could be given.

"I know the harbour do wash it infrequently. It's a very dangerous area."

Council strategic director Matthew Piles said the Health and Safety Executive had been informed.

"I have been made the lead for the incident and we will be investigating what has taken place," he said.

On Wednesday, the council posted on its Facebook page that the top of the wall had been closed for "essential maintenance".

It declined to comment further when approached by the BBC.

Emergency work to fill a "car-sized" void at the base of The Cobb was carried out in 2025 and further repairs are planned.