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A pensioner has fallen to his death while on a seaside town's famous harbour wall. The Cobb in Lyme Regis, Dorset, closed after the incident on Monday, March 2.

The man, who was in his 70s, was walking on the landmark with his wife when they both slipped. The woman fell on the wall, but he plummeted 20ft into the sea below.

The tide hampered efforts to rescue the man, whose body was eventually recovered by Lyme Regis RNLI.

Dorset Police said the woman was taken to hospital. A spokesperson for the force said it received a report at 12.51pm on Monday of a man and woman in need of medical attention following a fall.

They added: "Emergency services attended and very sadly the man, aged in his 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"His family has been informed and our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time."

The spokesperson said the woman was taken to hospital for treatment to a suspected head injury and the incident is not being treated as suspicious.

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The entrance to the Cobb was taped off as workers from Dorset Council attempted to make the surface safe, the Telegraph reports.

A spokesperson from the council said: "The top of the wall at the Cobb is currently closed for essential maintenance.

"Signage and barriers are in place to help prevent anyone walking across the top, but pedestrian and vehicle access to the harbour via the lower walkway is open as usual."

The Cobb is a Grade I-listed stone breakwater which curves into the English Channel off Lyme Regis. It is a major attraction in the town and featured in the novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman, which was made into a feature film starring Meryl Streep.

It dates back to the 14th century, but the present structure has been in place since 1857.