Coastguards are warning people to stay away from cliff edges after two similar incidents have resulted in the deaths of two men in Britain.
Portland coastguard sent a rescue helicopter and the Beer Coastguard Rescue Team to search for a man who fell over cliffs at Seaton yesterday afternoon after a report that a Polish man had fallen down the 300-foot cliffs.
The coastguard said that by the time that the helicopter arrived on scene the man had been found by ambulance paramedics. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It later transpired that the 39-year-old man had been posing for a photograph while holding on to a tuft of grass.
Dover Coastguard also co-ordinated a similar incident earlier in the afternoon after they received a call from Kent Police at 1.45 reporting that a foreign speaker had called and asked for help for his friend who had fallen and slipped down the cliffs.
Three Coastguard Rescue Teams were sent to the scene. The teams located him at the foot of the three-hundred-foot cliffs a short time later. A doctor from the air ambulance pronounced the man dead at the scene, a coastguard spokeswoman said.
Maddy Davey, Portland Coastguard watch manager urged walkers not to stray from cliff paths and to stay away from cliff edges.
"Often, despite appearances, they can be unstable and crumbly, as well as being slippery when wet. Wherever you are in the country, please enjoy the coastline this bank holiday, but stay away from cliff edges.”