THRILLSEEKERS who risk their lives posing for pictures dangling over 500 foot cliffs should be shown videos of their consequences of their actions in a bid to put an end to the “stupid” practice.

That’s the suggestion of one regular visitor to Beachy Head who says he is fed-up of seeing people risking their lives along the perilous cliffs just for the sake of a picture.

Photographer Guy Hollingworth says he fears that only a tragedy will stop visitors to the cliffs putting themselves in harm’s way for cameras and smartphones. The 41-year-old from Seaford posted a video of one man perched on the cliff top on Sunday while his friends took pictures.

Mr Hollingworth said such risk takers should be shown footage from lifeboat and coastguard rescues and body recoveries to shock them into seeing the dangers involved.

He said that he did not feel that fencing off the cliffs would be the answer because of the costs involved, but something was needed to shock people into “growing up”.

Mr Hollingworth said: “If someone is driving without a seatbelt, police show them a video of what could happen and maybe that is what needs to happen here.

“On the video I shot on Sunday everybody is walking past and nobody says anything to them, it’s just the norm.

“I am here three days a week and every day I will see somebody either lying down with their heads over the edge or having a friend hold their arm as they lean right out.

“These people are on the edge of the cliff but they can’t see the overhangs and cracks beneath them.

“The horrible thing is that it will take somebody dying to change anything and it will be their families who suffer as well as the coastguard, the lifeboats and the chaplaincy team who will have to deal with that."

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman said: "Our advice is to stay away from cliff edges as they can be crumbly or slippery when wet.

“Venturing too close to peer over the edge or to take a photo is just not worth the risk.

“You shouldn't attempt to climb up or down cliffs unless you are trained and equipped to do so.

“If you get into difficulty, or spot someone else in trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."