SIGHTSEERS are being warned against risking their lives to view the giant Durdle Door landslide up close over the bank holiday weekend.

Authorities have warned of the danger of more rockfalls on that stretch of shore and the Jurassic Coast generally – and urged people to heed warning signs.

It comes as some people have already ventured close to the landslip at St Oswald’s Bay between Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, and as crowds are expected to hit the beaches for the bank holiday weekend.

Portland Coastguard officer Karen Tolman said: “Stay away from unstable looking cliffs – not just from the top but from the base of them.

“Don’t get under the cliffs on the beach. The erosion is still going on. There is a lot more to go in places.”

She added: “The signs are not put there for fun. Please keep away. Don’t take the risk.

“If there is a problem or you see anybody you are concerned about just dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.” Locals have reported an influx of visitors keen to see the massive landslide which wiped out around 100 metres of cliff on the coastal path between Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door last Monday night.

The coastal path has been diverted inland but is still open. The Durdle Door Holiday Park is fully open and the beaches at Durdle Door, St Oswald’s Bay and Lulworth Cove also remain open, although warnings sign tell people to keep away from the landslide.

John Hayes, senior ranger for Dorset County Council, said: “Dorset has 100 miles of the 630-mile South West Coast Path National Trail. “Sections of the path are prone to periodic closure following landslips.

“We would urge people to avoid the cliffs and rock falls along the coast and to take notice of any warning signs that are in place.”

Richard Edmonds, earth science manager for the Jurassic Coast Team:, added: “Coastal erosion is happening all the time along the Jurassic Coast.

“Our advice, as always, is to take care and stay away from the cliffs.”

A HISTORY OF LANDSLIDES

THE landslide at Durdle Door is the latest to have hit the Jurassic Coast over the past year.

Earlier this month there were cliff falls west of Lulworth Cove affecting the coastal path.

Fresh cliff falls and cracks occurred along the coast from Bat’s Head to White Nothe.

There have been a series of slips either side of Lyme Regis and at Charmouth in the past three months.

Last July holidaymaker Charlotte Blackman was killed by a landslide on the Freshwater beach at Burton Bradstock.