Two youngsters became stuck more than 30ft above ground on a sheer cliff face after climbing onto a ledge to get to a mobile phone.

The scared youngsters - both believed to be 12 years old - became stranded on the wooden ledge in The Leas area of the town just after 1pm today.

They had tried to reach the mobile phone, but were then unable to get back off the ledge - some 15ft down the cliff.

Fire crews used specialist equipment to reach the children, who were then helped to safety.

They were then given a precautionary check by ambulance staff.

Folkestone watch manager, Christian Redmond, said: “The girls had climbed down onto the ledge but unfortunately then became stuck as it’s about five metres down the cliff face.

"They were about 10 metres from the ground so needed our help in getting to safety.

“While we understand kids like to explore we would ask parents to ensure their children are aware of the dangers of playing around coastal areas especially near cliff edges.

"Thankfully this didn’t have a serious ending but clearly we’d rather people didn’t put themselves in a position where they need our help."