In the summer of 2008 I saw a fully grown tree slide over the cliff east of Lyme Regis. This major rock fall affected what was, up to the 1970s, the domestic refuse dump for Lyme Regis, above Church Cliffs. The debris cascading over the cliff provided a snapshot of domestic history as bottles, jars and household appliances ended up on the beach.
The fall occurred in the evening of 8 May when there was a high spring tide, so no one was on the beach and it was inconvenient rather than dangerous. In contrast, a young female tourist was killed by a cliff fall at Burton Bradstock on 24 July 2012. These sorts of events occur regularly, irrespective of climate variation. But when it is very wet, we can expect other sorts of mass movement to happen.
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