Stay away from landslip

7:00pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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THE public is being warned to stay away from the site of a major landslip in Lyme Regis.

The Spittles site between Lyme Regis and Charmouth on Dorset's Jurassic Coast shifted on Tuesday evening and there is danger of further slips in the coming days.

There have been fears that fossil hunters will make their way to the site in the hope of finding newly unearthed specimens.

Simon Parker, Dorset County Council's County emergency planning officer, said there were "very real physical dangers" at the site - a former landfill site.

He added: "There could be a quicksand effect if anyone tried to climb onto the slip and it would be very easy to become trapped.

"Added to that is the risk of falling rocks and earth as well as items being released from the old landfill site. There is broken glass and other debris which could cause serious injuries."

A multi-agency group, including Dorset County Council, West Dorset District Council, Dorset Police, Dorset Fire and Rescue, the Environment Agency and health have already met to discuss how the incident will be managed.

Although landslips are common along this stretch of coastline the Purbeck area is unlikely to suffer a landslip as dramatic as that near Lyme Regis an expert says.

Mike Goater, of Purbeck District Council, said such incidents were normally triggered by heavy rainfall.

The Lyme Regis landslip may have been caused by added water to the cliff from another source, he added.

The landfill site which has been exposed by the slip was opened in Victorian times and closed in the mid 1970s.

Due to the instability of the site not all the materials released have been identified but some may be potentially hazardous, say experts.

The Environment Agency plans to take preliminary water samples in the next few days.