A FOUR-year-old girl who spent two days fighting for her life after falling from cliffs at a woodland beauty spot died yesterday.

The youngster, who has not been named, had wandered off from her family, who were on a day-trip, when she fell 30ft down a steep river valley, suffering head and shoulder injuries.

The child, from the Sunniside area of Gateshead, was with friends and family at Plankey Mill, a wooded river valley at Langley, near Hexham, Northumberland, when the tragedy happened.

She died in Newcastle General Hospital yesterday morning after she underwent emergency surgery.

The girl fell from the cliffs at 1.30pm on Friday.

An ambulance crew was at the scene in 15 minutes and the unconscious youngster was taken to Hexham General Hospital and transferred to the intensive care unit at Newcastle.

Sergeant Nick Petty, of Northumbria Police, said it was not known exactly where the girl fell in the valley, which drops to 100ft in places to the River Allen.

He said her family were extremely distressed by the incident.

Plankey Mill has wooded slopes with rocky outcrops leading down to the river.

It is four-and-a-half miles south-west of the nearest town, Haydon Bridge.

Sgt Petty said: "It is a local beauty spot that tends to get plenty of visitors when the sun is shining. The area is a river valley with steep sides.

"You tend to find a lot of families visit the area because it is considered a safe place to play."

Local councillor David Smith said: "There are quite high cliffs with sheer drops all along that area.

"There are plenty of signs advising people not to climb on them.

"There is a maze of footpaths up there and it is a lovely place to walk.

"But you do have to be careful with children as there are sheer drops off most of the footpaths."

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.