Dog has amazing escape when it tumbles 70 feet off cliff before landing on ledge where it is spotted by Coastguard and winched to safety

A dog had a amazing escape after falling 70ft off a clifftop and landing on a ledge.

The pet was on its lead but broke away from its owner during a Christmas Day walk at Pinhay Bay, in East Devon.

The owner looked on horrified as it went over the edge at Rousdon Landslip.

They raised the alarm and the dog was spotted on the ledge by Lyme Regis Lifeboat.

Coastguard crews from Beer and Lyme Regis winched the dog to safety following the incident at 1.30pm on Monday.

The dog (pictured after it was rescued) was being walked by its owners along a clifftop path when it fell down a 70ft drop off the edge

Coastguard crews were called out to rescue the dog after it took a tumble on Christmas Day

The Beer Coastguard crew set up a winch to bring the dog to the top of the cliff again after it was spotted from the water by a lifeboat crew

A rope technician was lowered off the edge of the cliff to pick up the dog from a ledge far below

They had carried their rope equipment almost half a mile to the remote spot where the dog fell.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Beer Coastguard Rescue Team said: 'Beer and Lyme Regis Coastguard teams along with Lyme lifeboat were tasked to a dog who had fallen 20m over a cliff in Rousdon landslip.

'Lyme lifeboat located the dog on the cliff and gave instructions were the rope rescue teams could set up their equipment to enable a rope technician to be lowered over the cliff and rescue the dog who had been on a lead but broke away from it's owner.

'The equipment had to be carried 600m from the vehicle to the rescue scene.

'A successful rescue and the dog was reunited with it's owner.'

The rescue drew praise from members of the public after volunteers gave up their Christmas Day to help. 

One person said: 'Amazing people, hope you got to enjoy the rest of your Christmas'.

Another wrote: 'All out of their warm homes on the one special day, for a dog ...... well done, greater than I.'

Someone else added; 'Well done, what stars you all are.'