People are being warned to stay away from Whipsiderry Beach following a massive cliff collapse on Wednesday.

Tonnes of rock came crashing down onto the beach at about 1pm along with fencing from the construction site above.

No one was injured during the incident but fears have been raised more cliff could come away at any moment.

A person walking their dog was picked up by Newquay's D-class lifeboat and several surfers had to paddle around to Porth Beach as it was too dangerous for them to walk back up the steps by the cliff.

The steps leading down to the beach and the surrounding footpath were subsequently closed for safety reasons.

Members of Newquay Coastguard Search and Rescue attended the scene to ensure nobody came too close to the incident.

Specialist engineers from Cormac attended the scene to carry out investigations into why the cliff collapsed.

A spokesperson for Cormac said: "There has been a large cliff fall on Whipsiderry Beach this afternoon.

"Our specialist engineers will be on site carrying out investigations.

"The steps and surrounding footpath are closed for safety reasons.  "This is a reminder to beach users walking from Porth or Watergate Bay beaches to check the tide times to avoid being cut off.

"Please keep well away from the cliff edge and follow the signage in place."

A spokesperson for Newquay Coastguard Search and Rescue added: "After a substantial cliff collapse at Whipsiderry beach today, we are requesting that members of the public stay away from the area for the time being due to the ongoing situation."

The huge cliff fall follows reinforcement works being carried out on the cliff ahead of building seven luxury villas on the clifftop above on the site of the former Paradise Cove Hotel.

The Marine Management Organisation has suspended the license for the cliff stabilisation works for five months until January 31 2024 pending further investigation.

It follows campaigners “bombarding” the Government body with evidence showing why the work should be stopped due to its impact on the cliff and wildlife.

The cliff reinforcement works involve excavating sea caves with heavy machinery, drilling into the rock and inserting steel rods and filling the caves with concrete, including part of the cliff face above.

There have been numerous rock falls since the work started and experts warned a huge collapse could happen at any time.

Save Whipsiderry Cliffs group has staged various protests against the cliff being concreted as they believe it would ruin the picturesque area and would be detrimental to wildlife.