HEAVY rainfall over the summer has made ciiffs at a West Wirral shoreline unstable.

Ranger at Wirral Country Park have taken the precaution of putting extra warning signs around the base of the cliffs at Thurstaston after weeks of torrential downpours.

Thurstaston shore and cliffs are renowned for being one of the best examples of glacial sediment from the last ice age - but the clay cliffs have now become very unstable due to heavy rainfall, says senior ranger Jo Hanik.

Warning signs have now been placed around the base of the cliffs and will be replaced over the coming weeks by more permanent notices mounted on specially placed rock-armour boulders. These signs will not only remind visitors the cliffs are dangerous, but will warn against people walking out into the estuary.

Ms Hanik said: “There have always been warning signs along the top of the cliffs, but we are now placing permanent notices along the beach from Dee Sailing Club to Heswall Fields.

“These signs will also seek to dissuade people from walking out into the estuary as we’ve had two recent incidents of the RNLI having to rescue people that have got stuck in the mud.”

Readers are also advised that the set of steps leading from the end of Station Road, Thurstaston, down to the beach have been closed off and are currently being repaired after a section of them collapsed also due to the wet weather.