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Landslip fear over clifftop crack Landslip fear over clifftop crack
(40 minutes later)
A huge crack has appeared in a cliff near a New Forest village causing fears of a major landslide.A huge crack has appeared in a cliff near a New Forest village causing fears of a major landslide.
Questions were raised about whether the crack at Barton-on-Sea, in Hampshire, had been caused by the Kent earthquake.Questions were raised about whether the crack at Barton-on-Sea, in Hampshire, had been caused by the Kent earthquake.
A spokeswoman for the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said "it was too coincidental too ignore". The Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said "it was too coincidental too ignore" but Hampshire Police said there was not thought to be a link.
But a spokesman for Hampshire Police, which cordoned off Marine Parade East after the crack appeared on Saturday morning, said there was no link. A row of beach huts below the cliff face had to be evacuated after the crack appeared on Saturday morning.
Expensive beach hutsExpensive beach huts
It is feared the crack, which is about 1,000 metres (3,280ft) in length on the cliff, could cause a major landslide. It is feared the crack, which was estimated to be about 300 metres (984ft) in length by the MCA, could cause a major landslide.
An MCA spokeswoman said: "We do not know if it is linked to the earthquake but it is too coincidental to ignore.An MCA spokeswoman said: "We do not know if it is linked to the earthquake but it is too coincidental to ignore.
"If the crack does get any bigger it could lead to quite a large landslide and there are lots of very expensive beach huts below.""If the crack does get any bigger it could lead to quite a large landslide and there are lots of very expensive beach huts below."
A police spokesman said no-one had been injured and no homes had to be evacuated. A spokesman for the police, which cordoned off Marine Parade East, said no-one had been injured and no homes had to be evacuated.
The earthquake, which measured 4.3 on the Richter scale, struck Kent at 0819 BST and experts said its epicentre was a few miles off the coast in the English Channel.The earthquake, which measured 4.3 on the Richter scale, struck Kent at 0819 BST and experts said its epicentre was a few miles off the coast in the English Channel.