This photo was taken just days after the biggest landslip in Lyme Regis for over 21 years. In the evening of 6th May 2008, and following a very wet season, more than 400 meters of cliff suddenly collapsed onto the beach covering it with tonnes of rubble and massive clay boulders. Fortunately the tide was in, the beach was deserted, and no one was injured, but earlier in the week the area had been packed with fossil hunters.

No doubt when the cliffs become more stable, the area will provide rich pickings for the thousands of fossil hunters who visit Lyme Regis each year.

2008 Landslip - Lyme Regis - Lyme Regis visitor guide showing a virtual tour of '2008 Landslip - Lyme Regis' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Dorset.

Any area of coastline is subject to continual change, often erosion, and the World Heritage Coastline near to Lyme Regis in Dorset is no different. As noted by the photographer, the cliffs next to Lyme Regis suffered the largest collapse in 21 years. This is a very natural part of the life cycle of the coast, however there is concern at Lyme Regis as the local landfill site is located just behind the cliffs. This is another reminder that nothing remains constant, and the same processes that have produced such stunning coastline and nearby attractions like Durdle Door, Stair Hole and Lulworth Cove will also eventually destroy them. A fate similar to that suffered by one of the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Australia.

Acclaimed for its spectacular views, precious unspoilt ecology and unusual geology, this section of the South Coast of England received World Heritage status and protection to preserve its environment.

However in the late spring of 2008, disaster struck when a section of the cliffs gave way and collapsed. Disaster services attended to make safe the area although caution is strongly recommended in case of further slips in this unstable section. It is anticipated that this latest slip will be explored for fossils, as the region has a world wide reputation for being very rich in marine fossils.

Take the A35 west of Bournemouth, the site is just east of Lyme Regis town.