NEWS FEED
Bournemouth Borough Council staff attended East Cliff promenade and cliff top at 5am on Sunday 24 April, after reports of a cliff slip near the Jon Egging Memorial.
The slip demolished the East cliff toilets and significantly undermined the supporting structure for the East Cliff lift. An initial inspection has suggested that further movement is possible as the landslip settles over the next 48 hours. The area will remain closed during that time as the council’s concern is to keep the public safe.
Whilst the promenade remains accessible on foot, both the surrounding cliff top and immediate cliff area to the top and foot of the landslip have been closed off.
Fortunately seafront rangers had noticed some slight cliff movement on Saturday afternoon and, as a precautionary measure, the lift and all associated buildings were already closed to the public.
No-one has been reported injured by this incident, and East Overcliff Drive remains open to pedestrians and traffic at this time.
Councillor Lawrence Williams, Cabinet Member for Tourism, said: “I would like to reassure residents and visitors that we are closely monitoring the site and putting in place the necessary safety measures.
“The safety of the public is our main priority and so barriers will be in place around the affected area for the foreseeable future. Although this is a significant landslip, it is only one spot along Bournemouth’s seven miles of beaches and we do not have any concerns about other areas.”
Chris Saunders, Head of Operations, said: “We are expecting a geo-technical expert to visit the site and assess the damage of the landslip. We need to get some professional advice about what we do next so there is no timescale on anything at this stage.
“If there is more rainfall over the next couple of the days then there is likely to be more movement although we expect it to be minor. I would ask the public to respect the barriers in place which are there for their own safety.”
