Rescuers have spoken of their relief that a mother had been able to pull her young child from a car seconds before it plunged over a 100ft cliff at Lizard Point.

A family from Gloucestershire had been enjoying the spring sunshine at Polpeor Cove on The Lizard when their 4x4 suddenly started rolling towards the cliff edge. It was with horror that the family then realised that their two young boys were still in the vehicle and one of the boys had released the handbrake. However, the mother managed to grab the children and pull them free from the car before it went hurtling over the edge onto the rocks below.

Andy Cattrell was duty watch manager at Falmouth Coastguard Station when they received a 999 telephone call saying that a vehicle had gone over the cliff.

Mr Cattrell, who co-ordinated an emergency response team to go down to the area, said: "Following the initial report, it was a huge relief to learn that the child had been pulled from the vehicle before it went over the cliff."

He continued that the family's valuables were in the car at the time it went over the cliff. Mr Cattrell sent a coastguard rescue team to the area to help the family retrieve as many of their possessions as possible.

"The family are understandably very shocked, and the local coastguard rescue team are more than willing to assist the family in the recovery of their valuables and offer what help they can," added Mr Cattrell.