Mind the sand trap! Golfers play on as huge rockfall takes bite out of 15th hole
A NEW hole opened up on a cliff top golf course yesterday – as 2,000 tonnes of rock crumbled and fell into the sea along the Jurassic Coast.
The West Bay cliffs in Dorset were closed following the landslip, which left a 50ft-high pile of rubble on the beach below.
The collapse took a chunk out of the South West Coast Path – and less than 20ft from a 15th hole bunker on the Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, which remains in play despite the cliffs’ fragile state. Golfers continued to play after the collapse despite the damage to the course, while onlookers crept dangerousely close to the edge to take photos.
A mile-long stretch of cliff top and beach from Freshwater to West Bay has been closed off while the slip is investigated.
It is thought sandstone rocks in the 150ft East Cliff – which featured on the ITV crime drama Broadchurch – had dried out in the recent hot weather, and heavy rain this week caused them to crumble and fall.
The path is likely to be closed for some time, according to Dorset County Council.
Phil Sterling, the council’s coast and countryside manager, said: ‘This is a significant cliff fall of around 1,500 to 2,000 tonnes of rock.’ It is the second collapse in a week at East Cliff, and follows a major landslip at the iconic chalk cliffs at Seaford Head in East Sussex last week.
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coast- guard Agency said: ‘We’ve seen a number of cliff collapses in recent weeks. It’s impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be.’
Laura Harrison, of the Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, said: ‘Right to the left of the 15th hole part of the footpath has completely gone ...We have fenced that area off.’ However, unfazed golfers are free to play on for now, she said. ‘It is very close to the bunker but golfers are still able to play the course as normal.’