Woman, 65, flown to hospital after falling 60ft from cliff at Old Harry Rocks

A 65-year-old woman has been seriously injured after slipping off a cliff edge and falling 60ft.

The woman had been out for a walk at Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, Dorset, shortly before 4pm on Friday.

She had to be airlifted from the base of the cliff to be treated by medics on the cliff top before being flown to Southampton Hospital.

"It is understood the female was close to the edge when she slipped whilst out walking," a spokesperson for Swanage Coastguard said.

"Members of the public called 999 reporting the incident after witnessing the fall."

Coastguard teams, the RNLI, ambulance service, police, fire service, a rescue helicopter and an air ambulance were all called to the scene.

The area was temporarily closed off to allow two helicopters to land.

The incident happened as the Coastguard recorded its busiest day for more than four years, reporting a total of 329 incidents.

Most of these were people being cut off by the tide, swimmers getting into difficulty and missing children.

Temperatures hit 37.8C (100F) in the South East on Friday, making it the third hottest day in the UK since records began in 1910.

Many people had flocked to the beaches to enjoy the hot weather, as fewer people are travelling abroad for their summer holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.