TWO men who fell to their deaths from a cliff top within minutes of each other have been named by police.

Investigators said it did not appear that the deaths were connected, but they were keeping an open mind.

The body of Adrian Van der Kerkhof was found on the beach near the Marsden Grotto pub, at South Shields, South Tyneside, at 1.15pm on Friday.

Only 25 minutes after he was found, Malcolm Longstaff, 55, of St Mary's Avenue, South Shields, was also seen to fall from the cliffs, 300 metres from where the first tragedy happened.

Witnesses say Mr Longstaff had been sitting at the edge of the cliff for a short while before he fell, but he is not thought to have spoken to anyone while he was there.

A police spokesman said officers still needed to speak to more witnesses.

He said: "We are not sure how long Mr Van der Kerkhorf's body had been on the beach, but that is something our investigations should be able to tell us.

"Because of that, we need to speak to anybody who may have seen him prior to the discovery, or anyone who saw Mr Longstaff on the cliffs.

"At this stage, it does not look as though the deaths are connected in any way."

Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 0191-454 7555 ext 65144.