A six-year-old schoolgirl has described the moment she helped an injured dog which miraculously survived a 100ft fall from cliffs at Reculver.

Lilli-Anne Arnold was with her mum and dad searching for crabs on the beach on Sunday afternoon when she spotted stricken golden labrador Drum.

The Briary Primary School pupil told the Gazette how she helped him before coastguards and the lifeboat crews eventually came to the rescue.

She said: “We were out walking and looking for crabs when I saw him.

“He had fallen down the cliff and hurt his paw. I tried to keep talking to him and stay with him to help. But he kept getting up and looked very confused.

“I was very worried and thought it was just really weird how a dog was sitting there on the beach.

“Mum and I went to look for somebody, but couldn’t find anyone nearby. It was then that the lady came and said she was the owner.”

The dog’s owner Geraldine Flanagan, 53, from Elephant and Castle in London, was visiting Herne Bay for a walk with Drum and her black labrador Breeze.

She said: “It was a classic case of somebody coming down from London thinking I would have a walk along the beach with my two dogs.

“It was all going beautifully, but then we went up the staircase to walk along the cliff tops to see the Reculver Towers.

“But because I was naive I didn’t realise how close we were to the edge. The dogs were sniffing around, then the next minute Drum was not there.

“I only then realised it was the end of the cliff, and he was at the bottom standing and wobbling. I ran back down and round.

“I could see immediately he was distressed. His front left paw was badly swollen and there was some bleeding on the back leg as well.”

Coastguard and RNLI lifeboat crews were dispatched to help Ms Flanagan, and took Drum to the lifeboat station in Whitstable for treatment.

Ms Flanagan added: “It was my first time visiting Herne Bay, so I was embarrassed. It’s a lesson to everyone going to a new area to have your wits about you.

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped with Drum. The vet team were fantastic and he has been recovering well.”

Lilli-Anne’s mum Teri-Anne Hack, 24, praised her daughter for her efforts.

She said: “She is our little hero and we’re so proud of her. She spotted the dog and was very caring towards him. She is a sensitive soul, and we treated her to an ice-cream afterwards.”