'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach

Updated
'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach
'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach


Tourists are risking their lives by climbing a huge unstable landslip in Devon - just to get a peek at the collapsing house on top of it.

A number of sightseers have been spotted climbing up the 150ft rock slide, accessing it from the beach below.

In February 2010, 5,000 tonnes of boulders crashed down onto Oddicombe Beach from below Ridgemont House, which was left just 50 yards from the edge of the cliff.

The landslip at Oddicombe Cliffs in Torquay left the house uninhabitable in a crumbling mess and a very precarious and unstable position.

'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach
'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach


Council chiefs are warning the entire property could come tumbling down at any given moment.

Local resident Charlotte Osborne, 15, took the photograph of two people climbing up the cliff-face on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Daily Mail, her mum Jenny said: "We couldn't believe our eyes. We went to take photos of the house and saw people climbing up the rocks.

"I guess these people - we think it was a girl and a boy, perhaps in their late teens - were trying to see how high up the cliff face they could get.

"We couldn't believe how stupid they could be. They must have seen the warning sign. It was so dangerous.

"The sooner the house goes the better because people are going to look at it."

'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach
'Reckless' tourists climbing 150ft landslide to see collapsing house on Devon beach


A spokesman for Torbay Council said: "We understand the privately-owned property is in a dangerous position and we would advise members of the public not to enter the site.

"The site is contained by fences and walls which can be reasonably expected to protect the public from danger.

"As further rocks falls occur, we anticipate the building will suffer further collapse."

Ridgemont House, which sits directly above Oddicombe Beach, has been the focus of widespread attention over the last three years following a number of landslides.

In mid-December, a geologist warned that a major fall was "imminent" at Oddicombe.

A Torbay Council spokesman told This Is South Devon last week: "There were some minor landslips at Oddicombe over the Christmas period.

"We wish to repeat our advice to members of the public, strongly urging them to observe the 'beach closed' signs at the north end of the beach, for their safety."

The house is fenced off with 'dangerous structure - keep out' signs in place, and is the subject of a legal dispute.

Related articles

Landslip shuts Monmouth Beach in Dorset

Landslip warps train tracks and causes rail destruction

Advertisement