A British backpacker and social media influencer has died after falling off a cliff known to be a popular selfie spot in Sydney, Australia.

Madalyn Davis, a 21-year-old makeup artist, is believed to have gone to the Diamond Bay cliff tops with seven of her friends on Sunday morning following a party nearby in the wealthy suburb of Vaucluse.

Ms Davis, originally from Lincolnshire, scaled a security fence with her friends to access the more dangerous parts of the 30-metre cliffs near Dover Heights, local media have reported.

Her body was recovered by emergency services from the water below at around 10:30am after an intensive air and water search, New South Wales Police confirmed.

According to family friends, it is unclear whether Davis took the picture herself or if one of her friends did.

The local Waverley Council last year said they were considering increasing ranger patrols and installing more CCTV in the area amid fears that tourists were endangering themselves by climbing over the cliff edge for the perfect picture.

Concerns were raised after a 27-year-old woman fell to her death while posing for a photo in the same location in August.