A landslide near Lyme Regis in Dorset was reported in the media
as having occurred on the evening of 6th May 2008 (Figure 1).
Specialist staff from the BGS Landslides Team carried out a
survey of the landslide using terrestrial and aerial LiDAR to
record the nature and location of the mass movement for entry
into the National Landslide Database National Landslide Database
ID 780/2. This landslide is part of the Black Ven landslide
complex on the West Dorset coast, between Lyme Regis and
Charmouth (Figure 2). The landslide occurred after a
particularly wet period during winter and early spring. We
routinely send specialist staff to the scene of landslide events
to collate data from landslides whilst they are relatively fresh
and often active, offering invaluable information. The principle
failure involved material mainly from the Shales with Beef
Member of the Charmouth Mudstone Formation. The main failure
surface seemed to be at or just above the top of the Blue Lias
Formation. The top of the Blue Lias cliff