Crews from Sidmouth Lifeboat and Beer Coastguard were called to help a man in his 80s who had broken his leg on a coast path at Littlecombe Shute.

The man was out walking on his own yesterday (Saturday) at around 10am when he fell and broke his leg.

A woman on the beach below heard him calling for help and rang the Coastguard.

Terry Hoare, station manager for Beer Coastguard said: “It’s a difficult area to get to as the path is very narrow and slippery.

“We got to the cliff top and five of us went down the path. Sidmouth Lifeboat was also called out as we can’t carry people up the path.

“It looked like he had broken both his tibia and fibula.

“With the help of a paramedic, we gave him some painkillers and put him in a splint.

“We then had to get him carefully down the path on a stretcher, which is only wde enough for one person in a lot of places.

“We managed to get him down to the beach in about 30 minutes. We then put him onto the lifeboat which took him to Sidmouth.”

It is the second time in under a month the crews have been called to help someone with a broken leg on the cliff path.

Beer Coastguard and Sidmouth Lifeboat were called out on August 15 when a woman fell and broke her leg while cutting the grass outside her chalet.

Mr Hoare added: “You’ve got to watch where you put your feet on the path as there are so many stones and roots.

“We would advise people to be careful when using all coastal paths as they are quite dangerous.”