Dog dies after falling from Beachy Head

A visitor to Eastbourne was walking her spaniel along the cliff-top between Beachy Head and the Belle Tout lighthouse when the animal suddenly ran off in pursuit of a seagull and fell off the cliff.

The distraught owner contacted the emergency services and eventually Eastbourne lifeboat was requested to launch in the faint hope the dog had survived the fall.

The volunteer crew were on the scene shortly but unfortunately the animal had not survived.

The dog was recovered from the surf and taken to the steps at Birling Gap where it was passed to the local coastguard team and the devastated owner.

An RNLI spokesman later said this is an all too regular occurrence and re-iterated the advice to keep dogs on leads whilst walking this elevated stretch of coastline.