The 69-year-old woman was visiting the beauty spot to place a bunch of flowers in memory of a friend who had died there when the accident happened, coastguards said.

Unable to move, a series of 999 calls were made to the emergency services.

Volunteers aboard the Newhaven RNLI lifeboat were returning from their routine Sunday morning exercise when they were asked to divert to help the woman.

However as they approached Beachy Head they suffered a mechanical fault and Eastbourne's all-weather and inshore lifeboats were asked to launch.

Volunteers from the Newhaven boat, who had launched their inflatable vessel to locate the woman her on the beach, initially assisted her.

They were joined by volunteers from the Birling Gap safety boat and then by the crew of the Eastbourne inshore lifeboat.

The Eastbourne all-weather boat, the Royal Thames, stood by the Newhaven boat whilst its crew carried out repairs.

Birling Gap coastguards were also mobilised to assist with the rescue.

The woman, who is believed to be from Seaford, was found one and a quarter miles east of Birling Gap.

Initial indications are that she has a double fracture in her leg.

The Coastguard rescue helicopter arrived on scene and winched the injured woman from the beach and transferred her to a waiting ambulance at Birling Gap.

She was taken to the Eastbourne DGH for treatment.