Families are warned over 'life threatening' danger at popular beach

Families and tourists are warned over ‘life threatening’ danger at popular beach after 65ft-high sand dunes collapsed

• Lifeguards in Cornwall hotspot warn of sand dunes that may collapse on tourists

Holiday-makers in a Cornwall tourist hotspot have been warned to stay away from a ‘sheer cliff’ of sand – or face ‘life-threatening consequences’.

Lifeguards in Crantock, near Newquay, say there is an ‘increased danger’ of the area’s enormous sand dunes collapsing and trapping people.

It comes after a 20-metre-high dune – higher than four double decker busses – collapsed on Wednesday.

The dry weather has caused the sand in the dune system to shift – while surf from the south-coast beach has gouged away the base of the sand structures. 

Newquay’s RNLI lead lifeguard supervisor Lewis Timson said: ‘Sand is extremely heavy, and in the event of the dune collapsing, there is an increased danger of becoming buried with potentially life-threatening consequences.

Lifeguards in Crantock, near Newquay, say there is an ‘increased danger’ of the area’s enormous sand dunes collapsing and trapping people

‘Despite the important, multi-agency training we have recently undertaken to rescue someone trapped under sand, we hope we do not face any incidents of this nature. 

‘Our focus is on ensuring people keep away from the sand dunes at Crantock. 

‘With the dry weather and surf of three to four foot expected the nature of the sand dune system is predicted to shift and remain unstable for the foreseeable future and risks collapse at any time.’ 

Signs telling punters to stay away from sand dunes and cliffs have been put up by the lifeboat charity along the stretch.

To rescue anyone trapped under the sand would require a special technique, where lots of people have to form a human chain to scoop the sand away from the victim.

This prevents the dune re-collapsing as they are freed. 

They say beach-goers must stay at least 50 metres from the base of the dunes.

Tourists have also been told to be cautious when swimming in the sea, due to an increased risk of rip currents in the water due to a change in direction of water from the local river.

The popular seaside town of Newquay – whose visitor numbers in 2021 surpassed their pre-pandemic level – saw nearly six million visitors in that year.

Mr Timson added: ‘The RNLI lifeguards at Crantock beach have been working extremely hard to protect the public from the imposing dangers of the sand cliff.

‘With the change in direction of the river at Crantock which has increased the risk of rip currents in the water, I advise anyone visiting the beach to keep well clear from the dune system, swim between the red and yellow flags and please speak to our lifeguards if you have any concerns or questions.’

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