Man, 71, rescued from East Sussex cliff face [video]

Stranded in the dark on the face of a cliff prone to erosion, Bryn Austin found himself in a rather precarious position.

With the temperature dropping, no one else in sight and no battery on his mobile phone, he knew it was a case of life or death.

But Bryn had faith. He also had intuition.

The 71-year-old retired geologist had taken a walk to Fairlight Glen in East Sussex to study the landslide, having visited relatives nearby, on the evening of Wednesday 24 April.

When he failed to respond to their message about dinner, and with the light quickly fading, his family became concerned.

They filed a missing person report with police, and a multi-agency search operation was launched.

In the meantime, Bryn used basic tools at his disposal – a lighter, some newspaper and packaging leftover from an Easter egg – to start a small fire.

His aim was to keep safe and warm, but also to alert anyone out searching for him to his presence.

“I am an avid reader of The Guardian and I always carry a few sheets of newspaper around with me,” he said. “As well as providing brilliant content, it also comes in handy when I go for a walk and want to sit down without getting wet. But in this instance, it saved my life.

“I used the paper along with some cardboard and dead gorse to light a small fire, which proved invaluable. Being prepared is half the battle, but I was prepared to pitch myself against the elements.”

Bryn, who lives in Norfolk, had taken a steep route down towards the beach, but lost his bearings on his return.

“This path looked unfamiliar compared to the one I took down,” he said. “The change of aspect really threw me, and after trying a few different paths I realised I was in a spot of bother.

“I hacked through a load of undergrowth and was concerned about my legs – both of which I have broken – but I took my time and carried on. I felt very calm but with an underlying thought that something very bad could happen here. I know how hazardous landslides can be.

“It was a great challenge, but it got steeper and steeper, and the cliff edge was really dodgy. I managed to find a stable position and thought it would be an ideal place to wait it out.

“I had trust in my brother-in-law, who knows I try my hardest to keep in touch. I sent several messages but there was no signal and eventually I ran out of battery.

“It was quite a saga really, but I had every faith that by midnight he would realise there was something wrong and he would phone the police.”

Police were called shortly after 10pm and managed to locate Bryn’s vehicle in the area. A drone was deployed, but due to the scale of the search region, the National Police Air Service helicopter was requested for back-up.

They were able to direct a search team on foot to the cliffs directly above Bryn, but it quickly became clear that his position was inaccessible.

The HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lydd was therefore deployed – assisted by Coastguard Rescue Teams from Hastings, Rye Bay, Bexhill and Romney Marsh, and the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat from Eastbourne and Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat – and Bryn was winched to safety.

He said: “I had great faith in the emergency services and the rescue operation was absolutely brilliant. I’m extremely grateful that they put their lives on the line to help me. I’d like to thank every single person who was involved in what was a life-or-death situation for me.”

Matt Pavitt, Coastal Operations Area Commander, said: “As one of the UK emergency services, HM Coastguard is ready around the clock to respond to incidents by the coast and at sea. We’re very proud to have contributed to such a good outcome in which different agencies worked so well together.”

Chief Inspector Sarah Whitworth, of the National Police Air Service, said: “This is a great example of how we work together, in the air and on the ground, to save lives.

“Using their thermal imaging camera, night vision goggles and powerful onboard spotlight, our crew from the National Police Air Service was able to find Bryn in a location that was inaccessible to ground patrols.

“It is always a great feeling for our crews knowing that they are able to support colleagues on the ground in bringing people to safety, as quickly as possible.

“The direct communication and coordinated response between emergency service partners in this case was second to none and we are just thankful that together we were able to make sure Bryn returned home to his family that evening.”

South East Coast Ambulance Service attended and checked over Bryn at the scene. Thankfully he had not suffered any injuries and was able to be discharged.

Sussex Police duty Superintendent Steve Biglands added: “Officers from a number of units came together to search for Bryn, who was significantly overdue for his dinner.

“Sussex Police were joined by other emergency services and collaboratively worked together to search for, rescue and give aid to him.”