Burnham Coastguard has responded to negative comments about the owner of a dog who died after falling off a cliff edge.

As previously reported, Burnham coastguard was called to a reports of a missing dog on Tuesday evening (February 20) which had possibly fallen off a cliff on the south side of Brean Down near the National Trust car park.

The Boxer dog was last seen chasing goats on a cliff edge and its owner was unable to keep up.

Despite the coastguard's best efforts, the dog was found dead by lifeboat crews after it fell over the edge.

Since we published our story, Somerset Live readers posted their thoughts on our Facebook page and criticised the dog owner for letting the Boxer off its lead.

One user, Steve 'Daisy' Western, said: "And how devastating for the goats. Maybe if they had kept control of the dog it wouldn't have happened."

Lynne Francis commented: "If the dog was properly trained, it would not have been chasing goats in the first place and would have obeyed the heel command.

"This is down to irresponsible owners who don't take the time or trouble to train their dog properly."

Andrew Thomas said: "Give the dog owner a bill and the dog should of been on a lead".

A spokesman for Burnham Coastguard has responded to negative comments towards the dog owner and called the incident "an oversight", adding the owner has "learnt a very harsh and painful lesson".

He added: "Safety advice for walking your dog on high ground such as cliffs is always keep them on a lead.

"Brean Down has long slopes of grass before a sheer drop so it looks a lot safer than it is.

"Dogs are natural explorers and the different sights and smells can make even the most well trained dog want to run and chase.

"All the animals living on Brean Down are able to navigate the terrain, this often means that the dog will fall off the edge but the goats are safe on a narrow path.

"Don't take chances if you want to walk your dog off lead stay on low ground."