A family in the UK has been rescued from a near-certain disaster after inexplicably deciding to camp out on a cliff’s edge in North Yorkshire.
The family — two adults and a child — were reportedly “unaware of the dangers” when they pitched their tent hardly 2-feet away from a 280-foot drop, according to the country’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
An unnamed “member of the public who was concerned” made the call to British emergency services (999) on Saturday to report the precariously-placed tent, in an area that’s known for “landslips,” they wrote in a statement on Facebook. Police were also sent to the scene to investigate any potential breach of COVID-19 restrictions.
“The family were in an extremely perilous position with no idea of the extreme danger they were in,” said Adam Turner, a senior coastal operations officer for one of the local coast guards involved in the matter. “Cliff edges are really unstable and can easily collapse as recent landslips in the area have shown.”
Details of the fearless family who set camp remain anonymous. Nevertheless, the coast guards’ followers on Facebook were expectedly appalled by the stunt, calling the campers “absolutely clueless” and accusing the adults of “endangering the child.”
However, hiker and alleged witness Barbara Knaggs delivered a measured statement in the replies in an effort to endear compassion toward the family, who may have fallen on hard times, she suggested.
“I saw this couple and child yesterday on the Cleveland Way carrying all [their] gear and did wonder about their situation. As none of us know what this is I really feel it is not right to be horrible towards them,” she wrote.
Turner continued his statement with advice to “keep to paths and stay well back from the cliff edge” as well as to “check the weather and tides” and wear appropriate footwear for slippery, uneven terrain.
“And take a fully charged mobile phone, so if the worst should happen you can call 999 and ask for the Coastguard,” he reminded.