Cottage left teetering on the brink of 400ft drop after Jurassic Coast cliff fall

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A house has been left teetering on the brink of a 400ft drop following a massive cliff fall along the Jurassic Coast. The home is now just 40ft away from the unstable cliff edge “Following a cliff fall at Jacob’s Ladder Beach in Sidmouth, we’d like to remind visitors to keep their distance from cliffs along the East Devon coastline,” East Devon District Council warned in a social media post. “This is because the rock from which the cliffs are formed is soft, and therefore prone to rock falls, and landslides, which can happen at any time.” Following a similar collapse at the same location last year, coastal scientist Vicky Walkley had warned that cliff falls were “very difficult” to predict, and could be contributed to by both heavy rainfall and warm sunshine. As well as East Devon District Council reminding visitors to “stay well clear” of the cliffs when walking on the beach, the coastguard has advised that beach users put a distance equivalent to the height of the cliff between themselves and the cliff base.