• Chunk of cliff falls 200ft and crashes into sea near Sidmouth, Devon
  
• Local residents say cloud of red dust covered town afterwards
• Area is prone to rockfalls but they are usually less dramatic

A huge section of cliff crashed into the sea at a popular resort, covering holidaymakers and residents in a cloud of red dust.

The rose-coloured rocks fell 200ft after the massive landslide, half-a-mile from the town of Sidmouth in Devon.

The area on the Devon coast is prone to landslides, with some residents worrying their homes will soon be next.

Holidaymakers and residents were shocked to see the rock falling from the cliff and into the sea

Locals first knew of Wednesday’s landslide when they heard a massive rumbling sound coming from the cliff face.

They looked up to see a huge chunk of rock plunging into the sea while throwing up a towering dust cloud.

The slip occurred near properties at the notoriously unstable Pennington Point, where homes edge ever closer to the sea with each collapse.

Richard Thurlow, chairman of campaign group Save Our Sidmouth, said: ‘It was a fairly major one, quite immense.

‘Outside my home, which is half a mile away, a fine red dust was deposited on all the flat surfaces.

‘The people who are seeing their gardens eroded are very worried.’

Rockfalls along the Devon and Dorset Jurassic Coast are common, though rarely as dramatic.

At Pennington Point, 12 properties are at risk of falling over an eroding cliff edge, which is said to be losing land at up to 13ft a year.

East Devon District Council said the latest landslip was as a result of erosion from heavy rain.

Earlier this week it was revealed a wealthy banker left £2.3million to the community in Sidmouth in his will.

Keith Owen, who used to visit his mother who lived in the town,changed his will to leave his fortune to the town, his only condition being that the money was spent on keeping the town beautiful.

He suggested the planting of 1million flower bulbs, a project which has been gladly taken on by residents and officials.

Mr Owen died in 2007 after being diagnosed with cancer and given only eight weeks to live.

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