Family slammed for sunbathing underneath killer cliff face with huge danger sign
A beach-going family have been branded 'stupid' for sunbathing at the foot of a cliff where a child had been killed by a falling rock - right next to a 'DANGER' sign.
Kerry Kidd was horrified to see the family-of-five sitting under the cliffs at Staithes Beach in Saltburn-by-the-sea, North Yorkshire, on Sunday.
The shocking photograph shows the young family and their small pooch sitting in deckchairs enjoying the hot English sun right against the beach cliffs next to a sign which reads 'beware dangerous cliffs'.
It is the same location where a nine-year-old girl died in a "freak accident" after being struck by a falling rock in 2018.
Kerry, 50, had been out dolphin spotting with her husband Graham Kidd, 55, and other relatives and decided to moor up at Staithes Harbour for a pub lunch.
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Kerry and husband Graham called the family 'stupid' for their actions (Kennedy News & Media)Kerry said she didn't approach the family for fear of being shouted at, as she says she has experienced this before when trying to point out the danger to people.
Instead she uploaded the images to Facebook to raise awareness of the eroding coastline and the dangers of using the cliffs to escape the sun.
Facebook users were horrified by the family's 'unbelievable' decision to sunbathe below the cliffs and branded their actions 'stupid' and 'idiotic'.
Kerry, from Fylingthorpe, North Yorkshire, said: "I think the family were oblivious of the sign behind them and I don't want to name and shame, I just want to bring awareness of the dangers.
"They probably looked at that sign and thought 'I'm not going rock climbing' [so didn't think it referred to them] or perhaps they didn't even notice it.
"It's just in the back of my mind that a little girl died on this beach when a rock fell.
"I know it was a freak accident but it could happen to anyone.
"We are aware of the dangers of the cliffs but lots of people aren't.
"We see people year on year people taking shade underneath the cliff unaware of the dangers.
"They think it won't happen to them but that little girl and family didn't think it would happen to them but it did.
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"The cliffs are changing on a daily basis and if you're taking shade on the beach under them and if a rock falls, there is no getting away from it. It happens so quick.
"If you see anyone sitting near the cliff, no matter what comments you get back from them, it's your duty to tell them to move.
"If you want shade on the beach, bring an umbrella.
"If people aren't from the area, they might just think that the sign I took the photo of refers to people rock climbing but it's not, it's warning people about the rocks falling."
The cliffs hang dangerously above the beach at the Yorkshire attraction (Kennedy News and Media)Kerry said she sees and hears rocks falling from the cliffs on her walks all the time along the North Yorkshire coastline and warns how 'one small rock could instantly kill you'.
The director of a second-hand clothing business said beaches should have more signposting to highlight the dangers of eroding cliffs on the coastline.
Kerry said: "The signs that they have up might not be clear enough for people that are not from the area, so maybe we need more signs and clearer signs.
"Maybe there should be plaques up to mark people that have died [in this way] in the area as a warning sign and maybe there should be more warning signs in general.
"We have told people not to sit there [near the cliffs] and usually we are met with 'mind your own business'.
"So now it makes me feel like I can't go up to people and tell them.
"If you are underneath a landslide you are not escaping, it comes that quick.
"It only takes one of these rocks to fall and you're gone.
"People that are going fossiling need to wear a hard hat because one small rock falling from a height will kill you. It will crack your skull.
"I hope this will bring awareness and save a life."
Harriet Forster, nine, died in a 'freak accident' at the same spot in 2018Facebook users were quick to call out the family's unobservant behaviour.
One user commented: "Why are there stupid people around…I can remember the tragic accident only too well.
"Do they think these important signs are to hang their hats on? It makes me so angry."
Another furious Facebook user said: "It's beyond stupid.
"They obviously have children with them just by seeing the buckets and spades.
"Why oh why after the tragic loss of life to a little girl.
"After all the rain we've had this spring these boulders and rocks could slip at any moment."
A third user joked about Darwin's natural selection process and said: "It is nature's way of culling the stupid, an essential part of the survival of the species."
Another commented: "You couldn't make this up. Huge warning sign and they're sitting right beneath it."
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