A MAN has died after a climbing accident on Portland.

The 31-year-old man from Gloucestershire plunged about 65ft from a cliff at Blacknor on the west side of the island on Saturday afternoon.

A horrified onlooker walking on the coastal path raised the alarm after seeing the man, who had been climbing with friends, fall on to the rocks below.

The seriously injured climber was airlifted to Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester, by the Portland Coastguard rescue helicopter.

Despite the best efforts of medical teams the man was pronounced dead at 3pm on Saturday.

Dorset Police said efforts were being made to contact the next of kin.

A force spokesman said: “The death is not being treated as suspicious but is thought to have been the result of a tragic accident.”

Portland Coastguard acting watch manager Steve Williams said police alerted the Coastguard to the fall just before 2.15pm on Saturday.

He said: “Someone from Ringwood in Hampshire who was walking along the top of the cliff saw the climber fall at Blacknor Point on the west side of Portland.

“He called the police and they alerted us.

“The coastguard helicopter was just getting airborne from its Portland base for training so it was on scene quickly and took the man straight to accident and emergency at Dorchester.

“The climber was said to be not in a good way when the helicopter took him.”

With its many limestone cliffs, Portland is popular with climbers and is particularly rated by enthusiasts of sport climbing which relies on permanent bolts fixed to the rock.

There are hundreds of routes of all abilities to choose from along the cliffs.

According to climbing guidebook publisher Rockfax, the west coast of the island in particular has become one of the UK’s best venues for well-bolted sport routes across the grades.

Mr Williams said: “Blacknor is a popular climbing spot and I must say we don’t get many accidents of this sort.”

He added: “It’s a sheer cliff at Blacknor.

“We don’t know which climbing route the man was on. There’s known climbing areas up the cliff and some are harder than others.

“We’re not sure how protected he was by ropes and other gear.”

Coastguard officers were alerted to the cliff as well as paramedics and police officers.

Portland Bill Coastguard Rescue Team station officer Nigel McColm said: “We understand three people were climbing together.

“How the man came to fall, we don’t know.

“We sent a couple of guys over the cliff on ropes with a paramedic to retrieve the other two climbers and their gear.

“They were obviously shaken up and one of them had injured his shoulder so he was taken to Portland Community Hospital for treatment and released later.”