Couple in torch-lit rescue from Jurassic Coast after cliff collapse

A couple who went for an autumn walk on the famous Jurassic Coast had to be rescued after being trapped by collapsed cliffs. Philippa and David O’Brien had planned to stroll eastwards along the shoreline from Lyme Regis to Seaton beach in time for lunch.

Instead their autumn stroll turned into a torch-lit rescue operation with a lifeboat and Coastguard Rescue Teams called out after the couple from Andover became trapped near recently collapsed cliffs. Philippa and David, 71, had done nearly everything right before heading out, including checking the tides, putting on hiking boots and downloading a digital map of the area.

However not long after setting out at about 10.30am the terrain became unexpectedly difficult and Philippa, who was recovering from a broken ankle, started to worry how much further she could go. The 62-year-old said: "The pebbles became big rocks, and the rocks became boulders,” she said. “I was starting to tire and my ankle was weakening. There was no way we could walk the two miles back on that surface or reach Seaton."

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The couple thought the walk might be less arduous if they reached the coastal path at the top of the cliffs above Charton Bay but ascended into a warren of routes hemmed in by woodland and brambles.

With the help of the map on David’s phone, after about an hour they found the main path only to discover their escape was blocked in both directions by landslips. All the other routes led back to the beach.

Philippa’s anxiety grew further when her phone battery died, mobile reception disappeared, and the mid-afternoon daylight started to fade and the temperature fell.

“At that point, I said, ‘Enough. We’re going to need help’,” Philippa recalled. “I knew if it was 3.30pm, it would take us a few hours to retrace our steps. I did not fancy going over those boulders in the dark.”

Using a geolocation app, David was able to share the couple's location to the emergency call-handler who told the couple to stay put as help was on its way.

HM Coastguard picked up the incident and dispatched coastguard rescue teams from Lyme Regis and Beer, as well as the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat from Lyme Regis. It located the couple by about 4.40pm, spotting them by the torch on David’s phone. The rescue took place on November 7.

"Oh, the relief," said Philippa. “I did not cry but I wanted to. I knew that once someone said they knew where we were, eventually we would be picked up."

With support from the crew, they waded out to the lifeboat which ferried them back to Lyme Regis where Coastguard Rescue Officers were waiting to make sure they were safe and well.

Philippa added: "I just think the whole operation was amazing. The coastguard and the RNLI both came out and even the call handler was great. I’d like to thank them all."

There have been a few cliff collapses along the Jurassic Coast. One of the most recent ones happened a few days before this incident when the biggest landslide in years saw tonnes of rocks collapse onto the beach below near Sidmouth leaving a thatched cottage just metres away from the edge of the unstable cliffs.

HM Coastguard have issued a few safety tips to anyone venturing on cliffs, shore or coastal paths.

Tips to stay safe by the shore:

• Give yourself extra time to reach your destination

• Carry some food and water

• Check the tides to ensure you don’t get cut off

• In trouble by the coast? Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard