Devon beach cliff collapses as holidaymakers engulfed in orange cloud of dust

Devon beach cliff collapses as holidaymakers engulfed in orange cloud of dust Part of a cliff collapsed at Jacob's Ladder beach in Sidmouth on Saturday, sending a cloud of orange dust across the shoreline Dramatic pictures show holidaymakers looking on as orange dust swept over a Devon beach after a cliff collapsed. The partial collapse took place at Jacob's Ladder beach in Sidmouth at around 3pm on Saturday, 18 July - just three days before a thatched cottage perched on the cliff edge went up for auction. The three-bedroom property - which had already seen its value plummet after part of the garden was lost to a cliff fall in 2024 - failed to sell for £250,000 on July 21. Designed and built in the 1960s for the novelist R. F. Delderfield, the cliff-top house sits on Peak Hill Road overlooking the beach. Its normal market value is listed between £1.1 million to £1.6 million and the owner bought the property for £695,000 in 2011. The Grade II-listed Jacob's Ladder steps and the adjacent Millennium Walkway were both closed for safety reasons earlier this year and will remain shut until at least 2027. Sidmouth town beach and Jacob's Ladder beach form part of the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site stretching from nearby Exmouth into Dorset. A spokesperson for East Devon Council told the BBC earlier this month: "The cliffs are formed from soft rock, which means rock falls and landslides can happen at any time. "We carry out annual cliff inspections at Beer, Budleigh Salterton, Seaton and Sidmouth. These include removing loose material and carrying out safety works where needed. The cliff where the property is located does not belong to us and not part of our monitoring programme." The spokesperson added: "To protect beach users, we provide safety signage at all council-managed beaches. Coastguards advise people to stay at least the height of the cliff away from it. "For example, if a cliff is 20m [66ft] high, people should keep at least 20m away. If a cliff fall occurs and someone may have been injured, call 999 immediately. Do not go near or explore recent cliff falls."