Emergency services were called after a group of people started a fire underneath unstable cliffs.

Coastguard teams were called to Birling Gap near Eastbourne at around 6.10pm on Tuesday.

Teams got the people to move away and extinguish the fire.

One bystander said: “Some silly people had lit a fire about 600 yards from the bottom of the Birling Gap steps.  

​“It was dangerous as the heat could have caused more cliff falls plus the tide was coming in fast and Tuesday was a high tide so they would have not been able to get back onto the stairs.”

The Argus: Coastguard teams were called to Birling Gap last night after people started a fire under the cliffsA spokesman for the coastguard said: “Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Team provided coastal safety advice to four people at Birling Gap beach after a report was received at about 6.10pm on March 19 of a fire being lit.”

Sections of the cliffs at Birling Gap regularly collapse.

The National Trust is currently taking down the front section of the building which used to be a café at the beauty spot.