A beach-goer who was pictured on an unstable cliff edge has sparked outrage from local coastguards, with people baffled by his apparent decision to 'propose' to his partner on the dangerous site .
The man was spotted at the top of a cliff on Orcombe Point, Exmouth, appearing to have gotten down on one knee in the pose traditionally adopted when popping the question - just weeks after an enormous boulder had been seen dropping nearby.
Exmouth Coastguard shared the picture on Facebook, branding the man a 'fool' and urging people to 'stay away' from the area.
The image was taken at Orcombe Point in Exmouth, Devon, on Saturday 25 July.
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Alongside it, a spokesperson wrote: "Unstable Sandstone cliffs at Orcombe point, Exmouth.
"Are you foolish enough to take the risk? He clearly was! Don't become a statistic. Stay away from unstable cliffs!"
Many people replied to the post to criticise the man's actions.
One person responded: "About as smart as the ones that set up camp directly below, under the 'Danger - Falling Rocks' signs. Plenty of them out last week."
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And another added: "Saw a couple up there on Thursday afternoon. The chap went right to the edge and stamped on it presumably to see how stable it is."
A third person wrote: "There was a sign on the clifftop, put up by the National Trust, but idiots have removed it. Idiots who want to put others at risk."
One Facebook user pointed out his stance, posting: ''He looked like he was down on one knee! Maybe he was proposing.''
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Just a week before the incident, a rock which was several feet wide had fallen from the cliff-face to the bridge below at the popular seaside spot.
Locals had noticed that it looked 'a bit dodgy' for a few days, but on 18 June, it fell from the cliff face onto the bridge below, breaking the metal barriers.
Jacky Sayers, 52 had been walking with her dogs, along the popular beach when she heard a 'massive rumble'. She then realised that the large boulder was rolling down the cliff before smashing down on to the footbridge below.
She shared it on a local community Facebook to let people know what had happened.
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Another added: "This is why we don't let our kids near the rocks. Hopefully other parents will do the same."
Topics: UK News