Southport Pier steelwork repairs to start

Repairs to steelwork in Southport Pier are "an important step forward" in the restoration of the Victorian structure, the town's council leader has said.

The pier - the second longest in Britain - has been shut since 2022 due to safety concerns.

Earlier this year the government approved £20m funding for the project to replace decking boards and timber joists, along with extensive steelwork repairs.

Sefton Council leader Marion Atkinson said the start of the work later this month "will be a particularly significant milestone".

"This is excellent progress and it represents an important step forward in the restoration of Southport Pier," she said.

"Like all building projects of any scale, careful preparation needed to be undertaken to make way for new materials to be installed."

The Grade II-listed structure, which opened in 1860, stretches 1.1km (0.68 miles) into the Irish Sea.

It is the oldest pleasure pier in the country. In 2018, extensive repairs and repainting works were carried out on the pier's steelwork to combat corrosion from the sea.

But in December 2022, the pier was shut for health and safety reasons.

As part of the latest restoration works 27 lighting arches have been removed and two kiosks and the halfway-house are being taken down to be restored, the council said.

Existing handrails, tramlines and mechanical and electrical services have also been taken away ready for the next stage of the restoration.

Dale Cunniffe, project manager from AE Yates, the project construction and engineering company, said: "A great deal has been achieved on site over recent weeks, including the removal of decking, structural elements and services, as well as the creation of the specialist access and crane areas needed for the next phase.

"We are pleased with the progress made and are now preparing to begin replacing steelwork on the landward section of the pier."

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