Møns Klint became a little smaller in the early hours of Tuesday after a large part of the cliff broke away and slid into the sea and beach, Danish media including broadcasters TV2 and DR report. 

Although such events are normal at Møns Klint during the winter, the white cliffs, one of Denmark’s tourist hot spots, have already suffered a serious landslide this winter, the largest at the location for 15 years.

The latest landslide is closer to Dronningestolen, a recognisable formation on the cliffs, than the previous one in January, the director of Geocenter Møns Klint, Nils Natorp, told TV2.

Head of communication for the centre, Helle Juul Hansen, told DR that “it has rained a lot for a long time”.

“That means there’s higher ground water behind the cliff and that gives a risk of landslide,” she said.

The Geocenter recommends visitors keep off the beach and stay well back on the terrain of the cliffs due to the risk of further landslides.

The cliffs are ranked fifth in the Tripadvisor travel site’s ranking of top outdoor activities for tourists in Denmark and first in the list of things to do on the island of Møns, two hours’ drive south of Copenhagen.  The surrounding landscape has been listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.