Public told to stay away as Easington Colliery beach pathway closed after a landslip
People taking their daily walks have been asked not to to use the coastal pathway as its steps have been covered following a “large landslip” on the cliffs and the area is still unstable.
The path has been temporarily closed.
The National Trust has said there is a “risk of further movement” in the area and its rangers are monitoring the situation.
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Hide AdAccess to the beach at Easington Colliery has been closed and the steps blocked off with a barrier.
It comes as temperatures in the North East have been rising, causing last week’s snow and ice to melt. The National Trust have said the landslip could be related to the weather conditions.
A spokesperson explained: “Recent landslips and cliff collapses on the coast have been caused by winter weather conditions like prolonged wet spells, interspersed with freezing conditions when water caught in cracks in the ground then freezes and expands.
"It's a natural process; we can't remove the thousands of tonnes of earth which have already fallen and this would also make the slope more unstable.
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Hide Ad"Movement is still likely as long as the ground remains wet, so people shouldn't ignore safety barriers and signs to access the footpath to Easington beach.
"National Trust rangers are monitoring the situation, but we can't say yet when the path will be reopened.”
Any alterations to the footpath would need to be approved by Natural England, as the landslip is on a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.