A major rockfall at cliffs used as a backdrop in the TV drama Broadchurch has sparked fears of further collapse on the Jurassic Coast, with parts of the country facing a month’s worth of rain over the weekend.

       Thousands of tons of mud and rock collapsed onto the beach from a 600ft sandstone cliff at Seatown, Dorset after recent wet weather. The beauty spot, near West Bay is part of Britain’s Unesco World Heritage Site.

       Further extreme rainfall is expected over the south west of England this weekend, causing concern that more of the coastline may be affected.

       Areas of northern and south west England, west Wales and southern Scotland are expected to experience heavy rain, starting on Saturday, with some parts expected to get around 80mm in 48 hours, according to forecasters at Sky News.

       That would be higher than the average rainfall for July of around 82mm throughout the month.

       Richard Edmonds, a Dorset geologist, said rockfalls on the coast were hard to predict but often followed heavy rain.

       “It’s a continuing problem – the more it rains, the greater the chance of a rockfall or landslide,” he added. “If we had an absolutely torrential downpour it may well cause another one, but otherwise it’s impossible to say.”

       The 2,000ft-wide rockfall at at Seatown came after a huge crack in the cliff opened up following a landslip in 2021. The cliff is perilously close to the South West Coast Path, which is walked by hundreds of people a day.

       A spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said: “Please remember that if you are visiting the coast and walking the coast path, stay away from cliff edges and don’t sit at the base of the cliffs.”

       The UK is currently stuck in a band of low pressure due to the position of the jet stream around the English Channel, which is also bringing heatwave temperatures to Europe.

       As of last week, England had averaged 65mm of rainfall for the first half of July – around 10 per cent above the long-term average.

       A Met Office spokesman said: “July is a variable month for rainfall, and the rainfall is typically driven by thunderstorms and summer downpours. We have a less typical pattern currently, with successive areas of low pressure bringing bands of more frontal rain.”

       Conditions could improve by Sunday, as breaks in the cloud will mean temperatures potentially approaching the mid-20s in the Midlands and East Anglia, although showers are still expected.

       The unsettled weather is not expected to lift until at least mid-August, when temperatures may return to more average levels for the time of year.