Dog walkers are being reminded to keep their pets under control when walking near cliffs. Exmouth RNLI has issued the warning after rescuing a woman cut off by the tide when her dog fell from Orcombe Point.

Exmouth RNLI is urging dog owners to keep their pets on leads when walking near cliffs.

The message comes after a woman from Woodbury was cut off by the tide at Exmouth when trying to reach her dog after it fell from the cliff at Orcombe Point.

The RNLI said the dog owner walked to Sandy Bay to reach her pet but was cut off by the tide when she reached the neighbouring bay.

Kevin Riley, lifeboat operations manager, said walkers and dog owners should ‘be prepared and be aware of the tide times’.

He said: “Owners need to keep their dogs on a lead whilst walking on the cliffs.

“In this case, the lady did the right thing and didn’t follow the dog’s path, in which case she could have found herself in more danger.

“Although the lady didn’t intend to walk near to the water’s edge, she was caught out by the rapid change of tides that we experience near Exmouth.”

Brixham coastguard tasked the Exmouth inshore lifeboat crew to rescue the woman at 1pm on Thursday May 30.

The crew reached the woman within minutes of the boat being launched.

The police helicopter and Exmouth coastguards were also on alert.

The dog and its owner were taken to Exmouth lifeboat station where they were met by coastguards.