Beachy Head Base jumpers who throw themselves from the cliff have been criticised for wasting resources and "distressing” walkers who do not know they have a parachute.

Thrill-seekers use the East Sussex spot as a jumping point for the hobby which involves leaping from the cliff and quickly deploying a parachute before reaching the ground. The acronym 'Base 'stands for the four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: building, antenna, span, and earth (cliff).

The RNLI has warned that unsuspecting walkers see them and think a person has fallen to death or injury and ring the emergency services. On Tuesday, two coastguard teams were deployed to Beachy Head following a call just after 3 pm with concern for eight people.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency confirmed that they had tasked both Birling Gap and Eastbourne coast rescue teams to go and investigate.

At the scene, the coastguard confirmed the eight were a team of Base jumpers.

The coastguard advised the team that if they want to do a Base jump, they should call them in advance so they can take down details and will not need to deploy unnecessarily. A member of the Eastbourne RNLI said that the Base jumpers at Beachy Head are distressing for people who watch them go over the edge without “realising they were Base jumping”.