Global warming caused a massive chunk of Beachy Head to crash into the sea in an unprecedented landslide at East Sussex, it was claimed yesterday.
Thousands of tonnes of chalk sheared off the rockface at the coastal beauty spot near Eastbourne at the weekend, as a 200-yard section of cliff loosened by persistent rain plunged 500 ft to the beach below.
The collapse, which can be seen from three miles out to sea, is so extensive that it filled a 100-yard channel to reunite Beachy Head's unmanned lighthouse with land.
Experts examined the area yesterday, with climate change emerging as the key culprit for what has already been labelled as one of the biggest losses of Britain's coastline in recent memory.
Mr Ray Kent, spokesman for the Environment Agency, said: "This was a massive fall. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes have fallen away from the cliff face. It has caused very significant damage to Beachy Head.
"It is basically down to climate change. The level of the sea is rising, so bigger waves are hitting against the cliff base, causing bigger vibrations to reverberate up the cliff.
"This was combined with 12 days of extremely wet weather during the Christmas period. The chalk was absolutely sodden so the combination has caused the rock to fall away. Unfortunately, it could be the shape of things to come."
Freezing temperatures are believed to have expanded the water which seeped into the chalk, causing it to crumble and sheer off.
Coastguards have warned people to stay away from the edge of the cliff - a notorious suicide spot - as experts try to establish whether further falls could be expected.
A spokeswoman said: "The fall was spotted by a RNLI lifeboat on exercises off the coast. We then informed the local authorities. People should stay away from the area."
The landslide will be seen as a further ominous warning of the erosion hitting England's southern and eastern coasts. Sea levels are expected to rise by up to 20 inches by 2050.
Many parts of Britain were covered in snow yesterday, bringing hazardous road conditions.
Motoring organisations warned drivers to slow down after the winter weather caused accidents.
Snow showers affected areas from the north to the south of the country, with only the south-west escaping the icy conditions, but an improvement is forecast.
Several high passes in the Lake District were closed to traffic, a spokesman said. "Luckily drivers are taking it slowly so we're not getting many injury accidents."