Those down at the Most Southerly Point last Friday would have witnessed an enthralling scene of excitement and danger as tonnes of rock were dislodged and sent careering down the cliff to smash and rumble on the slipway 50m below.
The sustained heavy rain has caused a number of land slips along the lizard coast over the last few months, the most worrying being at Lizard Point. The slip consisted of dozens of tons of rock and occurred on the cliff between the car park and the slipway. As soon as the slip occurred, the area was fenced off and contractors were called in to make the area safe as there was still a lot of loose rock ready to fall.
So last Friday, Simon and Matt from Kernow Maintenance Services (KMS) abseiled down the cliff armed with a crowbar and spade with the aim to dislodge any loose rock in a controlled way and make it safe for the future. It’s a good thing that Simon and Matt aren’t afraid of heights as they were literally hanging by a thread 50m above the slipway levering off rock after rock. They were suspended on their ropes for hours and dislodged several tons in that time, to the excitement of many onlookers.
We're waiting for the verdict of a specialist engineer, but are hoping that we can soon start to reopen the area. Once we're give the all clear, the dislodged stone will be removed and put to good use on walling, footpath and access work. Please in the meantime, keep a safe distance away.
To see a video of the rock fall like us on facebook and follow http://www.facebook.com/NTLizardandPenrose?fref=ts to see how we maintain your countryside day to day!
Thanks for reading!
Ed Walker
Trainee Ranger, Lizard.
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