BUDE Coastguard Rescue Team was recently paged to an incident, following reports that a dog had gone over a cliff at Morwenstow.

The team was called just after 2.15pm on October 7 to Yeolmouth Cliff, Morwenstow, after reports of a dog having gone over a cliff. Hartland Coastguard Rescue Team was also paged.

With several members of the Bude team arriving ahead of the Bude and Hartland rescue vehicles, details were taken from the first informants, who were the owners of the dog, as to where exactly the dog had fallen from the cliff.

With the arrival of both the Bude and Hartland teams, an edge safety officer was quickly put into position on the cliff edge in an attempt to locate the dog with binoculars.

When the dog was located on the beach below, the officer continued to monitor the animal while the officer in charge decided on the next step.

As the only rope access point to the otherwise inaccessible cove necessitated a significant scramble across the rocks to the dog’s location, and due to rapidly advancing spring tide, it was deemed that there was insufficient time to undertake a recovery of the dog, due to the risk of having team members trapped by the incoming tide.

The decision was made for any recovery attempt to be postponed until the following morning.

On its Facebook page the following day, Bude Coastguard Rescue Team wrote: “Our sincere condolences go out to the dog’s owners.”