Heart-stopping moment tourist slips and almost falls 120ft from Dorset cliff top

Watch: Tourist slips on cliff edge above 120ft drop

This is the heart-stopping moment that a tourist slips and almost falls 120ft from a cliff top.

The man lost his footing along the narrow cliff edge of Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, Dorset.

The local coastguard issued a warning to walkers after footage emerged of the incident.

The man's stumble, caught on camera from distance, could have resulted in an extremely dangerous fall.

He slipped down a grassy bank with a sheer 120ft drop either side of him.

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The man, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, recovered to his feet and eventually turned back to his friends and the mainland.

The incident was caught on camera by Callum Howlett, who was in a kayak in Swanage Bay at the time.

"He would have fallen off had he not stopped sliding down," Howlett said.

On its Facebook page, Swanage Coastguard said last Thursday: "Whilst out on a beautiful morning kayak around Old Harry Rocks, this video was captured.

"It very nearly end badly for this individual.

"Coastguard teams, the coastguard helicopter, lifeboats, ambulance and police all would have been tasked to this if it had gone horribly wrong."

"Please, please, please do not take the risk, it's not worth it."