recent landslides -- but residents and children continue to walk under the unstable cliff.

"It's very dangerous,'' said nearby resident Jean Richards. "They need to do something before somebody gets killed.'' The 30-foot natural limestone cliff stands opposite Five Star Island in Southampton and separates Middle Road and the railway trail.

And numerous residents use the trail as an access road or recreational path.

According to Mrs. Richards, she was driving home around 2 a.m. when she first saw a rock fall.

A little later, the taxi driver said she heard a loud thump as a large section gave way.

The Ministry of Works and Engineering put up temporary barricades to seal off a section of the trail, but Mrs. Richards said she became frustrated when days went by and no work was performed.

"People just move the barrier and just continue walking,'' she said.

Another section of the same wall fell again on Thursday.

"I asked why is it that they haven't done anything about it and they said they want to talk to the people in the area,'' Mrs. Richards said.

"I guess they're going to wait till it all falls down before they do something about it.

"There's nothing to talk about, just take it up and fix it.'' A spokesman for Works and Engineering said the department "recognised the urgency of the situation'' and would begin conducting investigations.

"We're trying to move as quickly as we can,'' he said.

And the neighbourhood interviews were being conducted to establish property ownership rights, he explained.

He also suggested heavy rains may have caused the sudden collapse, but it was too soon to determine what methods would be used to stabilise the wall.

More barricades have been erected.

"It's very important that the public doesn't go in there,'' said the spokesman.