Concern about a rise in the number of cliff-falls has resulted in a beach safety warning by councils and fire authorities.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents all 48 fire and rescue authorities as well as councils, is calling on government to launch a campaign to highlight the risks of climbing, walking along or bathing near cliffs - and to urge people to assess risks.
It made the warning after figures from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) showed 166 launches to people on cliffs in 2015 compared to only 118 in 2014 – a rise of 41%.
Figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre also suggest 121 people were admitted to hospital due to cliff-falls in 2014/15 compared to 112 in 2013/14 – an 8% increase.
It has also reached the stage where firefighters are rescuing people from rising tides and cliff-faces at least once a month, as well as stranded dogs, whose owners have also become trapped trying to save them.
One such example of a cliff-fall is a 13-year-old boy airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries after falling down a cliff while playing on rocks in North Tyneside.
Cllr Simon Blackburn, chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, warned people it was 'irresponsible and negligent' for inexperienced climbers to be near cliff-faces.
He said: 'Cliff rescues are difficult, dangerous and time-consuming operations which often involve co-ordination with the Coastguard and other emergency services. They put a demand on resources and can lead to fire and rescue services elsewhere being called to provide back-up or cover.
'Some of these can easily be avoided if people take sensible precautions when either walking across clifftops or visiting beaches.'
Blackburn said walkers and bathers should stay away from cliff edges to avoid landslips and rockfalls – and they should never enter closed-off areas. He also advised dogs should be kept on a lead at all times near cliffs.
