Terrifying scenes as people wander to Beachy Head cliff edge amid structural dangers

Hundreds of people celebrating the UK's May Day Bank Holiday on Monday, visited the Seven Sisters Cliff, and even went close to the infamous Beachy Head despite warnings of recent collapses.

From young to old, the majority of the visitors appeared not to be hesitant about being dangerously close to the edge of a cliff, which has suffered major sudden collapses in recent years.

May Day visit to Seven Sisters

With several photos circulating around social media, people were seen having a picnic, while also doing piggyback rides at the risky Cliffside. In one such shot, reported by Mirror, a man was seen leaping forcefully forward, with his foot mere inches from the edge, just to see the rocks below.Over the Bank Holiday weekend, rescue teams reportedly responded to reports of three people cut off by the tide near Beachy Head.

The RNLI, a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service, and a seasonal lifeguard service from Eastbourne, received a panic call to the scene near the Beachy Head Lighthouse at 6:00 pm on Saturday. While the RNLI crew rushed on their inshore lifeboat, they were eventually informed that the people had called to say they had succeeded in making their own way to safety, reported The Argus.

The RNLI crew, meanwhile, returned to the station before making the boat ready for launch again.

Lifeboat operations manager for Eastbourne RNLI Carl Pocock said, "Thankfully in this instance, the casualties were able to make their own way to safety. We encourage people to check tide times when visiting the coast and to take care along the coastline."

One of the most popular landmarks in East Sussex, Seven Sister Cliffs is part of England's South Downs National Park. The cliffs stretch along the Sussex Heritage coast from Cuckmere Haven to Birling Gap in the East Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It attracts thousands of residents and tourists to the UK, thanks to its stunning structure and iconic chalk-white colouring.

Dangerous Beachy Head

Meanwhile, Beachy Head is a prominent chalk headland that boasts a 162m-high chalk sea cliff, which is Britain's highest and is considered a very dangerous area. Over the years, visitors to the cliff have been urged not to walk close to the Beachy Head, or sit at the edge, but the warnings have gone in vain on most occasions.

Earlier this year in March, there were alerts for people to stay away from cliff edges after a large crack appeared. The crack was believed to be several metres along a section of the Seven Sisters cliffs, near Seaford. As a result, chalk also fell into the English Channel at the Flat Brow area of the cliff. The area has seen plenty of cliff falls in recent years, including one in 2021.

The situation at the cliff is quite unpredictable as there may be undercuts in the chalk, which people may be unaware of when walking on the top.

The Beachy Head may also have a bit of a reputation issue, as many people have taken their own lives by jumping off the edge. Recalling a particular tragic fortnight in 2018, around 10 bodies were found at the bottom of the cliff.

While the Seven Sisters are luckily free of Beachy Head's chilling reputation, it has similar dangers, courtesy of its height of 200m from sea level at its highest point. A fall from that distance is also likely to be fatal.

There are as many as three Bank Holidays in the UK this month, with the first one done and dusted over the May Day weekend. The remaining two holidays are May 6 (Coronation Bank Holiday), and May 29 (Spring Bank Holiday).