A LANDSLIDE on an England beach has attracted dozens of fossil hunters in search of relics.

    Some 200 enthusiasts combed the beach in the village of Charmouth, on the Jurassic Coast, Dorset, collecting scores of ammonite fossils.

    The majority are said to have picked up ammonites, extinct sea molluscs prized for their intricate spiral shells, which measure from 2 cm to 60 cm and were washed out of the mud and shale by the sea.

    More than 1,000 tons of cliff fell down a week before Christmas and the crowds of souvenir-hunters have increased as word has spread.

    Most of the ammonites being found range between a fraction of 2.5 meters and 15 meters.

    Tony Gill, who runs Charmouth Fossil Shop, said, “We’ve been here about 20 years and we have not seen anything on this scale before. Everyone is managing to find one.

    “It’s the biggest fall I’ve seen down here for years, if not the biggest. But finding a big fossil is like one in a thousand.” Gill said it would take years before the larger blocks of mud and shale were eroded by the sea.

    Walkers have been warned not to climb the cliff as it is still unstable. Joanne Groenenberg, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said, “With recent significant rainfall, some cliffs and cliff edges have become crumbly and unstable.”

    They are also asked to notify the Charmouth Heritage Coast Center of significant finds.

    (SD-Agencies)