Councillor Stuart Hughes spotted the youngsters on Monday night and warned they were playing ‘Russian roulette’ with their lives.

A group of young swimmers were captured playing ‘Russian roulette’ with their lives ‘tombstoning’ from a pole in Sidmouth.

Photos show a dozen youngsters near the pole with one young boy jumping from the top.

Councillor Stuart Hughes said ‘he could not believe’ what he was seeing on Monday night.

Cllr Hughes said: “I couldn’t believe that kids were doing this. Nobody knows what is under that, it is unsafe, if you slipped and went backwards and hit your back on the pole you would break it.”

He also reiterated danger warnings after more people were spotted near Sidmouth’s crumbling cliffs.

He added: “They are playing Russian roulette with their lives. When you start walking under the cliffs it could collapse at any time. And you have kids doing this and it could go wrong. I just feel that people do not appear to have a sense of danger.

“What do you do? You can only tell people.”

Guy Russell, senior coxswain for Sidmouth Lifeboat, said the sea is ‘the best playground on the planet’ but advised people to take care.

He said: “It’s about calculated risk, the tides heights vary from day to day so even if it says it high it might not be as high as last time. Take note of the warning signs they are there for a reason.

“Check the tides and be careful climbing, it’s about having fun but be safe. If you are unsure about any aspect take the time to learn about it, is there any metal or broken bits?

“The cliffs is a different story, it is not fun, stay away from the cliff because if they fall on you, you will die.”