SECTIONS of coast in Hampshire remained shut throughout the weekend after a large crack appeared and prompted fears of a huge landslide.

Police cordoned off three sections of clifftop and part of the undercliff at Barton on Sea on Saturday morning after a six-inch wide crack and other fissures were reported.

As concern mounted that part of the cliff could fall into the sea experts said it was "too coincidental" to ignore any link between the crack and the Kent earthquake .

About 60 beach huts were evacuated for fear they will be crushed if the cliff face fell and remain closed to their owners.

New Forest District Council officials will this week assess the 15 metre crack and decide whether the stretch of road, in Marine Drive East, can be reopened.

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: "There is some concern that part of the cliff might fall into the sea and police have taken all precautions to ensure public safety.

"There has been no need to evacuate any properties and there are no casualties."

A spokesman for the Southampton-based Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "We do not know if it is linked to the earthquake but it is too coincidental to ignore.

"If the crack does get any bigger it could lead to quite a large landslide and there are lots of very expensive beach huts below."

The earthquake in Kent measured 4.3 on the Richter scale and left several thousand homes without power. The epicentre of the earthquake was about 7.5 miles off the Dover coast.