A retired fisherman frantically clawed at sand after a section of cliff collapsed on two schoolgirls, nearly burying them alive on a Norfolk beach.

Three fire engines, two ambulances and lifeboat men rushed to Hemsby beach fearing the worst on Good Friday, but the girls were rescued by passers-by before more of the cliff could give way.

And retired Hemsby fisherman Kenny Chaney said it could have been a different story if he were not on the beach with his metal detector at the time.

'A little boy of about 10 came running up to me and said 'two girls have been buried in an avalanche',' said Mr Chaney, 66. 'It seemed they had tried to climb the cliffs.

'One girl was buried up to her neck and the other up to her chest.

'I was worried that the whole lot would come down - it was pretty vertical there and there's a lot of weight in it.'

And emergency services have issued a warning over the dangers of playing on sand banks.

For the full story, see tomorrow's Eastern Daily Press.