Walkers warned to stay well back from the edge of cliffs

The UK Coastguard has urged people to take extra care on potentially treacherous cliff paths following a weekend Angus tragedy.

A police helicopter joined the search along the coastline yesterday for 18-year-old Ralph Smith who is presumed dead after he fell from Arbroath cliffs on Saturday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the UK Coastguard said: “The cliffs along the UK coastline are continually eroding, with pieces falling from them that can be just a few small rocks or as large as a car.

“It’s impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be.

“Periods of intense rainfall will often make cliff edges more vulnerable.

“We’ve seen a number of cliff collapses around the coast in recent months. It’s very clear that cliffs are very unstable in places.

“We really can’t stress enough how important it is to keep back from the edge. There is no safe place to be.

“Use the designated paths, take notice of warning signs, be responsible and don’t take unnecessary risks.”

The autistic teenager has not been found despite an intensive search over the weekend involving the coastguard rescue helicopter, four rescue teams and RNLI lifeboats from Montrose and Arbroath.

The coastguard suspended its search and rescue operation on Sunday morning and the lifeboats were also stood down.

The incident was handed over to Police Scotland which continued the search yesterday.

However, activity at the scene of Saturday’s tragedy is small in comparison to the full-scale operation that was initially scrambled after the alarm was raised around 1pm.

Flowers have also been left on Arbroath cliffs in condolence.

Chief Inspector David McIntosh said the search had continued with air support and specialist teams.

Appealing for witnesses, he added: “On Saturday, Ralph was wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans and blue and red trainers and he is described as being 5ft 10 inches tall to 6ft tall, with short light brown hair and blue eyes.”