With members of the public all doing their bit to protect the community and staying at home, many are choosing to spend their two hours of daily exercise taking in some fresh air along the cliffs and beaches.
The warning comes following a recent landslip at Fermain Bay after heavy rain.
An Environment & Infrastructure spokesman said more heavy rainfall was expected in the coming days and weeks and asked people to remember to observe any warning signs and stay away from the base of cliffs in case of rock falls, particularly for people visiting the bays between Fermain and Portelet.
‘Cliff faces naturally weather over the years through wind, rain and changing temperatures, which increases the risk of rock falls,’ the spokesman said.
‘The growth of vegetation, or small earth tremors that we do not feel, can also loosen material which can lead to landslips. Soft cliffs of loose clays and small stones, such as those at Fermain, Moulin Huet, Petit Bot and Portelet, can easily lose material during or up to several days after periods of heavy rain which accelerates this natural weathering process.’
Although the cliffs around all the bays on the south coast are inspected regularly by engineers, they continue to advise people not to sit or play near the base of cliffs because of the risk of severe injury should a rock fall occur. Several cliff faces are heavily netted to prevent rock falls and worked on by contractors to remove small flakes and loose stones caused by weathering.
However, even with these precautionary measures it is not possible to prevent the risk of landslips entirely and so the reminder is that care must be taken by individuals when accessing these areas, particularly in the days following heavy rainfall or frost.
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