UPDATE: Prom closed off after car goes over cliff at East Overcliff Drive

The grey Honda Concerto, registered to a Ringwood man, ploughed through railings on the side of East Overcliff Drive, close to the Ocean View Hotel, at around 11am.

Passers-by watched on as the emergency services cordoned off the route and began assessing the scene, where the vehicle had come to a rest in undergrowth.

South Western Ambulance Service confirmed paramedics were sent, but that the man inside the car had managed to escape from the vehicle unharmed.

Officers from Dorset Police closed off a portion of the promenade below the cliff while a recovery operation was launched.

Their colleagues above directed traffic away from the incident as firefighters liaised with council workers over how best to safely remove the car.

A Dorset Fire and Rescue service spokesman said that two crews, who used specialist “working from height” kit to secure the car, left the scene secure at 12.20pm.

He said this had involved firefighters attaching ropes to the stricken vehicle in a bid to stop it slipping further down the cliff.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "Officers were in the vicinity at the time of the collision but the vehicle was not being pursued.

“A man was initially arrested on suspicion of driving offences but was bailed and taken to hospital to receive appropriate care.”

The spokesman confirmed that the care the man was receiving was not in relation to any physical injuries. 

The road was reopened at 2pm after the vehicle had been recovered. 

A Bournemouth council spokesman said that some railings had been damaged as a result of the crash.

The spokesman added that safety barriers would surround the site until the damage was rectified.