FOSSIL-HUNTERS were today warned to keep away from a stretch of coast after the biggest landslide in the area for decades.

The slip destroyed more than 400 metres of world heritage coastline at The Spittles, between Lyme Regis and Charmouth, an area notorious for earth moves.

Coastguards and district council officials were yesterday assessing the damage on the ground during low tide and a helicopter surveyed the incident from above.

Graham Turner, coastguard station officer for Lyme Regis, said assessments revealed the material was pushed out, and around five layers are expected to fall.

He said: "There is lots more to come yet. The old rubbish tip and 30 or 40 years of dumping has already started coming down with it on to the beach."

Mr Turner said the rubbish includes broken glass, immersion heaters and car parts.

People are being warned to stay away from the area because it is still dangerously unstable.

Clay boulders and foliage tumbled into the sea at around 8pm on Tuesday watched by retained Lyme Regis firefighter Virgil Turner, and his crew, who were on a night exercise near East Beach.

He said: "All the seagulls went up first and started circling. We looked around and the next minute a few big sheets came down. It was phenomenal and really interesting to watch.

"I couldn't believe the speed it went down. We were sat here with some holidaymakers just watching it."

Richard Edmonds, earth science manager for the Jurassic Coast and Dorset County Council, said it was the biggest landslide in the town since the May 1986 slip, known by local geologists as the Newslip'.

Mr Edmonds said: "This was a very, very big one - it is not stable at all. It's very steep so I should imagine the sea will take it away, but probably not until the autumn storms. But there are lots of loose boulders there that are going to come rumbling down.

"I wonder what it has done in terms of walking the beach - it might be much more difficult to walk from Lyme Regis to Charmouth.

"It is going to remain a hazard because of falling rocks so people will need to stay away, certainly from the base of the cliff."

The beach remains open, but the authorities are advising people to stay away.

Graham Turner said: "We haven't got any authority to shut the beach. Our authority only allows us to advise, not stop - not even the police can tell people not to go there."

He added: "If it had been bank holiday we would have had many fatalities because that area was packed. It couldn't have happened at a better time, when no one was around."

The slip was also watched by Church Cliff resident Alexander Burnfield who said: "It rumbled like thunder and we could see the greenery moving and falling into the sea.

"The vision, the smell, the sound and the movement was quite disorientating, giving you a feeling that nature is in charge, that we don't have much say when it comes down to it."