UNWARY visitors to West Bay could find themselves ‘channelled’ to sit under the crumbling East Cliff – according to West Dorset councillor Robin Legg.

He claims that the way the East Beach access for the public will be laid out from the second week of April during major coastal works will have the effect of encouraging people to move towards the base of the cliff if they want to be on the beach.

“While we, as locals, know of the dangers, those coming from the Midlands, or elsewhere, might be blissfully unaware,” he told Thursday’s West Dorset planning committee.

“There needs to be some appropriate signs. You are, effectively, channelling them into a danger area,” he said.

Officers said that the beach already has signs warning of the dangers of cliff falls and say additional warning will be given at the time.

Proposals before the committee showed that much of the beach adjoining the harbour walls will be cordoned off at the time with a relatively narrow public access to the east of a site compound to allow access to the beach.

Mr Legg said that this might have the unintentional effect of putting people under the cliff: “We all know there has been falls. It strikes me that this is a bit dodgy,” he said, “it will have the effect of channelling people that way.”

But planning officer Hamish Laird said the entire project, including public access, would be professionally assessed for safety and that additional signage would be used, if needed.

He said the situation, for the contractors, was one of being condemned if they allowed access to the beach and condemned if they did not.

“This is an attempt for them to maintain public access …and we feel sure that the works will become an attraction in their own right. The problem of people going too close to the cliff exists and will go on, all we can really do is warn them.”

The planning committee gave consent to the coastal defence and flood protection scheme which is expected to start in March.