Women rescued by Lymington and Southbourne coastguard teams after New Year’s Day cliff fall near Hoburne Naish Holiday Park at Barton

TWO women were rescued after falling from an “unstable” stretch of clifftop at Barton during a New Year’s Day walk.

One of the casualties, who are in their 50s, was hospitalised with serious leg injuries as a result of the accident near Hoburne Naish Holiday Park where they were staying.

Lymington and Southbourne coastguard teams responded, along with paramedics.

The alarm was raised around 9.45am, after the pair fell about 15ft onto a ledge, and Lymington’s specialist cliff technicians lowered a medic to them.

One of the women was unhurt and able to be helped back to the clifftop, but the other had to be lifted out on a stretcher.

She was taken by ambulance to Poole Hospital following the rescue, which took about an hour.

The incident prompted a safety warning for walkers visiting the area by Lymington Coastguard, for whom this was the first call-out of 2024.

“The cliffs in that particular area are unstable and there are overhangs,” a spokesperson said.

“The advice is to keep well away from the cliff edge when walking near the cliff paths.”

Southbourne Coastguard hailed “great teamwork” between the emergency crews.