Watch as woman dances in Storm Bert under cliff moments before huge rock slide

A couple out enjoying a seaside walk in Devon were almost buried beneath a pile of rubble during a huge cliff fall. May and Paul Balding defied severe Storm Bert on Sunday (November 24) to walk their dogs on Exmouth Beach.

The pair fulfilled May's wish to walk under a waterfall - just minutes before a pile of rock and rubble collapsed from the cliffside. May said the pair visit Exmouth beach regularly with their dogs and they see nothing there most of the time.

However, bad weather, such as that brought on by Storm Bert at the weekend, can make cliff falls more likely and rocks can tumble suddenly and without much warning. Luckily, May and Paul had a warning before a chunk of cliff came down.

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The couple saw a few rocks tumble down and moved away, calling their dogs further back, before a large amount of rock and rubble fell onto the beach below - right where May had been enjoying herself not two minutes before. The pair's video footage reveals the first huge fall, before more rocks and dirt plunge to the ground. At one point, a large tree falls down the side of the cliff, with more rubble.

"We came four or five weeks ago and saw the waterfalls and took pictures. I wanted to dance in the waterfall," May explained. "I was enjoying myself very much when we heard a noise."

On hearing the creaking sound, a part of the rock face came away around 1m from where May was standing, so she came out from the waterfall and the couple moved further back, making sure their dogs - who had also been enjoying themselves in the water - were also away from the cliff. Minutes later, the cliff collapsed.

"If it was one minute later - we were just under the rocks," May said. "We didn't understand how dangerous it was."

She added: "I'm Dutch, we don't have cliffs in Holland!" May and Paul said neither of them saw signs on the beach, indicating the danger. Paul said: "If the first rocks hadn't fallen on the left..."

May said: "Life is very precious and we have to realise that. I always thank the universe and this was like there were guardian angels around us."

East Devon Council has said the cliffs pose a "very real danger," and rockfalls are unpredictable, often occurring completely without warning. "You should always take care around the cliffs of East Devon as all are made of soft rock and pose a cliff fall danger," the council warns on its website."

Meanwhile, rocks have been tumbling down at nearby Seaton throughout the season. Both Salcombe Cliffs and Jacob's Ladder Beach have seen slides in the last month, and a home was left dangerously close to a 400ft drop at Peak Hill.