BEACHGOERS have been warned of an “unprecedented” danger at a popular Cornish beach.
Experts warned that sand dunes on Crantock beach near Newquay could collapse at any moment – burying anyone nearby.
They spoke of the risks of sand dunes after a child was seen disappearing into a dangerous sand cave there in April.
One coastguard said that the dunes on Crantock beach “could give way like it would do in an avalanche… burying people”.
Brits have been warned to steer clear of the sand dunes, particularly the base.
Lifeguard supervisor Lewis Timson said: “If you’re on those dunes and they collapse there is a risk for it to be fatal.
“We’ve all come together because we’ve recognised this is such a significant risk… It’s really unprecedented, especially here in the South West, we don’t know anywhere else that’s having the problem to this scale.”
He added: “You want to be at least 50m (164ft) or so away from the base of the sand dunes”.
This comes after a child was seen “disappearing” into a dangerous sand cave on the same beach earlier this year.
Witnesses watched in shock as a young child tried to explore the sand cave, before a beach patrol rushed to stop them.
Luckily they managed to warn the child just in time before the sand was collapsed with minimal effort.
The deputy station officer for HM Coastguard, Jeremy Griffiths, said the sandy cliff face is “very, very unstable”.
“At any moment that could give way like it would do in an avalanche somewhere in a ski resort, burying people.”
He said: “For us to come and find you is difficult – to try and rescue you is really difficult.”
This comes as temperatures in the UK are expected to rise this weekend, meaning more people are likely to flock to the UK’s beaches.
Training exercises for rescue teams have been held and warning signs have been put up to try and avoid a tragic accident.
Sandra Jones, who was holidaying at Crantock beach said she had no idea about the danger.
She said: “I think I’ll probably I’ll be more wary of where I thought there were rocks underneath the sand but I can see they’re now compacted sand, I mean some of them are sort of coming down now.”
“There could be more signs.”
This comes after a teenage boy died in Utah when a sand dune unexpectedly collapsed on top of him.
