EXPERTS have warned of further landslips along the Jurassic Coast after a large section of cliff near West Bay dramatically collapsed.

Authorities had been expecting the cliff, close to Highlands End Holiday Park, to crumble after a crack opened up at the top last month. The area had been monitored amid fears of collapse and the coast path was diverted.

The cliff fall came on Saturday night with tens of thousands of tonnes of rock and debris thundering down as rain and high winds lashed the coast.

People were seen on the beach below at the weekend, prompting a warning from authorities.

They say 'this is by no means the end of the story' and are expecting further falls.

Walkers are being urged to stick to the coast path diversion via the holiday park, not to climb barriers that have been erected and to not walk on the beach directly below the cliff.

Tara Hansford, countryside access development officer at Dorset Council, said: “As predicted a major section of this cliff fell over the weekend equating to tens of thousands of tonnes.

“I cannot emphasise enough that this area is still very unstable and the cliff continues to crumble with material consistently falling and the potential still for larger areas to fall. We have a winter of weather ahead of us, so this is by no means the end of the story.

“There were reports at the weekend of people walking on the beach directly below – this is unwise when the cliff continues to crumble.

She added: “If you are walking in the area, read and follow the notices, keep away from the cliff edge and fall and off the beach below.

“Dogs should be kept on a lead at all times. Please use common sense for your own safety and that of others – so that everyone can continue to enjoy Dorset’s stunning, dynamic coastline."

Local photographer James Loveridge has documented the cliff's deterioration with a series of photographs over the past few weeks.

He said: "It was actually quite a quick process. There had been a crack on the cliff edge for a few weeks but suddenly there were cracks across the coast path and in the field behind.

"I had a look every two to three days and with each visit the cracks were bigger, the land was slumping and there were new fault lines. With the weather last weekend it was clear the pace would pick up and it would likely fall in one go.

"Luckily this happened during the night when no-one was around, but it would have been very impressive to witness."