A woman was spotted scaling the cliffs of Brean Down as she attempted to rescue her dog, which had fallen from the top.
Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team has issued a warning to dog owners after helping the woman and her pooch to safety, having witnessed her dangerous retrieval efforts when flying past yesterday morning (July 25).
With concerns for her safety, the crew aboard the helicopter requested the assistance of Burnham-On-Sea coastguards, who explained what happened.
"Our Coastguard Helicopter 187 was out on a training session in the area today and as they passed over Brean Down they spotted a woman scaling down the cliff towards a dog that had fallen from the top," said a Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team spokesperson.
"They immediately requested our team and kept an eye on her from a safe distance to prevent any downwash blowing other walkers off their feet while preparing to take any action if necessary.
"As she got back to the top of the cliff the helicopter team winched one of their crew down to meet her and ensure she was ok and to give her some safety advice and how to avoid any injuries to herself or her fur baby."
The service reminded dog owners to keep their pets on leads when at the top of the cliffs near Bristol, or any clifftop.
"At its highest point Brean Down is 318 feet high and has long slopes that suddenly end in a sharp drop to rocks below," added the spokesperson.
"There is wildlife up there including birds, rabbits and goats all of which have their own scent and know the whole of Brean Down better than any visiting dog.
"The dog has a natural instinct to chase and hunt and this kicks in when faced with all these exciting sights and smells.
"They get a faint view of something interesting they want to investigate and they are off.
"Unfortunately for them they don't realise the wildlife they are chasing disappear into a hole or hiding spot and the dog runs out of grass to run on and falls from the edge."
The spokesperson added that if a dog were to fall from the top of a cliff, as it did in this instance, trying to rescue it is "not the best advice".
"We have been to multiple cases where the dog is either injured or sadly died from the fall," they said.
"If your dog does fall off the edge then following it is not the best advice.
"It can be emotional seeing poor old pooch over the edge and in distress but if you slip or fall while attempting to reach them you could become injured or worse."
Dog owners whose pets fall from the top of a cliff are urged to call 999 and ask for the coastguard, rather than chasing after them.
