The incident happened on Kettle Ness, near Runswick Bay. Photo: Andrew Smith CC-BY-SA-2.0

A man has been arrested and released on bail after the death of a climber on sea cliffs in North Yorkshire.

The injured 51-year-old man, from Cleveland, was airlifted to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

The incident happened on Friday and North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident at Kettle Ness, east of the village of Runswick Bay.

North Yorkshire Police said they are carrying out a full investigation into the incident to determine the exact circumstances which led to the man falling to his death.

A spokesperson said: “As part of those enquiries, officers are appealing to walkers and anyone else who was in the area between 10.30am and 1pm to contact them.

“The area is popular with walkers and the Cleveland Way goes through the village of Kettleness. Anyone passing through at the time may have vital information which could help the investigation.

“It is believed that at least two walkers were seen in the area around the time the incident happened, we are appealing for them to come forward.”

Temporary Detective Superintendent Steve Smith said: “This is a tragic incident involving two climbers who appear to have got into difficulty, resulting in the death of one of them.

“A full investigation is underway to establish exactly what happened. The family of the dead man is being supported by specially trained officers at this time.”

Police said they are not yet in a position to release the climber’s identity.

Anyone who was in the area the time is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police, even if they believe their information is insignificant. The police can be contacted on 101. Callers should select option 2 and ask for Scarborough CID.

The 20-year-old man from the Whitby area, who was climbing with the dead man, was released on police bail.