Cliff plunge man's identity riddle

A coastguard helicopter was called to help the rescue

Police have appealed for help to identify a man rescued after he fell over a cliff near Margate.

The man suffered multiple injuries in the fall at Epple Bay, in Westgate, on Thursday.

Dover Coastguards, who went down the side of the rockface to rescue him from a rocky ledge two-thirds of the way down, said he had been lucky to survive.

The man, who is believed to be 35 or over, has short dark hair, which appeared to be brushed back and two tattoos.

Police said one of the tattoos depicted a mountain and appeared to have the name Martin written over it, while the other said CND.

Lost blood

Anyone who recognises the man's description is urged to come foward.

A member of public raised the alarm at about 1330 BST on Thursday after he spotted the man as he walked along the promenade beneath the cliff.

A coastguard rescue helicopter was called but was not needed in the end.

Paramedics, Kent Police and two crews from Kent Fire Brigade were also at the scene.

The man, whose identity has not yet been released, has been taken to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, in Margate.

The coastguard spokesman said the cliff is not one where such incidents often happened but it was steep.

He said: "I was quite surprised he hadn't died. He was really quite badly hurt and he had lost a lot of blood."

A stretch of Sea Road in Westgate was closed while the rescue operation was carried out but re-opened at 1515 BST.