A bystander captured shocking photographs of a reckless daredevil enjoying a picnic just feet away from the edge of a cliff which could give way at any moment.
Sid Saunders was horrified to see the woman eating her lunch on the unstable rocks at Seaford Head in East Sussex, where a young student fell to her death last summer as she attempted to take a picture.
Sightseers have been warned to stay away from the edge after a series of cliff falls which saw thousands of tonnes of chalk tumbling onto the beach below.
The woman was eating her lunch on the unstable rocks at Seaford Head in East Sussex
Sightseers have been warned to stay away from the edge after a series of cliff falls which saw thousands of tonnes of chalk tumbling onto the beach below
The woman ignored signs warning people to steer clear of the edge as she enjoyed her picnic
The 74-year-old photographer, who lives in Hastings, is warning people to stay safe near the cliffs and to observe warning signs.
Mr Saunders said: ‘I was enjoying my walk on Tuesday at Seaford Head and I watched a young woman walk pass the metal post warning people off the cliff edge and the possibility of it being unstable.
‘I was some way from her, but when I looked back I could see to my horror she was sitting eating and drinking on a large crack in the chalk.
‘I started to walk back up to warn her but thankfully she got up and walked away in another direction.
‘If you look close you can see the warning marker post that she ignored. I just wonder when the public will learn to treat the cliffs with respect.
‘On my cliff walks I notice how stupid some people can be. This was one of the worse things I had seen.’
A South Korean student fell to her death while having her picture taken at the top of the cliff near the beauty spot last June.
Hyewon Kim, 23, stumbled and fell over the edge after she asked fellow tourists to take her photograph while she jumped in the air.
Walker Sid Saunders captured the shocking spectacle as he strolled along the East Sussex coast
Coastguards warned the public to keep away from the unstable cliffs at Seaford following three separate cliff falls over 48 hours
People are still getting close to the edge despite a number of warnings issued by HM Coastguard that the area is ‘extremely unstable’
Coastguard Maritime Commander, Mark Rodway OBE, said: ‘We are warning beach goers and coastal walkers to exercise caution in the Seaford cliffs area and keep away from the areas that have now been cordoned off.
‘It’s impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be. It’s very clear that cliffs are unstable in places and we really can’t stress enough how important it is to keep back from the edge.
‘There is no ‘safe’ place to be.
‘Don’t be tempted to go and investigate recent cracks or falls and don’t risk going to the edge to get a dramatic photo.
‘One of our biggest problems is the ‘selfie-culture’ where people take great risks to get a dramatic photograph of themselves on a dangerous cliff edge – no selfie is worth risking your life for.’