A SECTION of cliff has slipped "one third of the way" towards the promenade during the past few weeks, according to Poole council.

The 10 metre wide section of the cliff at Canford Cliffs beach was described as "stable" by the borough, although "it may continue to move in the event of heavy rainfall".

The top of the cliff has been cordoned off, as has a block of beach huts (Block 4), although the beach and promenade are considered safe by the council's engineers.

They will spend the next three months monitoring the cliff to determine the conditions across a wider area and what stabilisation works are required.

Due to this the borough's planned investment in seafront facilities at Canford Cliffs, due to begin construction in September, has been delayed.

Councillor John Rampton, cabinet member for the environment, said “This is an unfortunate natural occurrence, and it is a shame that the building works planned for Canford Cliffs have to be delayed at this time.

"We are undertaking this monitoring as a precautionary measure and the results of the surveys will help us to establish a forward plan for Canford Cliffs Beach, to ensure that we can protect this important natural area for many years to come."