A walker had a lucky escape after he was rescued from a cliff face in Arbroath after being a “finger’s grip away from plunging to almost certain death, the Coastguard has said.

The man was found about 10m (32ft) from the top of Seaton cliffs in Arbroath and was slipping when Coastguard Rescue Teams rushed to his aid.

His companion had called 999 shortly before 5pm on Sunday and the Coastguard said it was a ‘race against time’ to rescue him.

Teams from Arbroath, Dundee and Stonehaven were sent to the scene at Dickmont’s Den, alongside the RNLI Arbroath lifeboats and the search and rescue helicopter from Inverness. 

The crew had to carry out a technical rope rescue after it was deemed too dangerous to perform a helicopter rescue due to the aircraft's downdraft.

The crew said that they found “a cold and tired man in a desperate situation, a finger’s grip away from plunging to almost certain death.”

David Kerr, Senior Coastal Operations Officer, said: “It was a close call – he was struggling to hold on, and it was a long way to fall. The teams knew they had to get to him and quickly. It was a tough rope rescue in darkness on a steep and crumbling cliff.

“It goes to show how quickly a nice winter walk can turn sour, one decision and suddenly the man found himself gripping on for life. It really can happen that easily and to anyone.

“They were well prepared with the right gear and fully charged mobile phones – they did the right thing in calling for help.

"The cliffs in that area are particularly loose and it can be very easy to end up in a difficult situation. So we do ask people to stay well back, the cliffs around the UK are continually eroding and can become unsteady at any time."