A FIVE-YEAR-OLD child had a lucky escape after falling 15 feet down a hole in rock armour.

Newhaven Coastguard crews were called to the incident in Saltdean on Friday night.

Somehow, the youngster emerged unscathed from the fall and was able to escape from the rock with guidance from coastguard crews.

But the shocking incident prompted the Newhaven team to urge parents to stop children climbing on the rock armour - saying they had attended several incidences of people slipping on or becoming trapped in the rocks in recent years.

This was not the only incident on the rocks this weekend. Yesterday, coastguard crews were called after a four-year-old girl slipped and cut her head while rock pooling.

A Newhaven Coastguard spokesman said: “Casualty care was undertaken and the South East Coast Ambulance was called for assistance.

"Please be aware of slippery rocks when exploring the coast.”