Worthing Borough Council said on February 20 that the eastern entrance to the popular pier had to be closed, for around eight weeks, due to works to install scaffolding beneath the structure that will enable improvement works.
A follow up social media post on February 27 read: “If you’re near Worthing Pier over the next week you might see our contractors carrying out minor repairs to the substructure.
“While the pier’s new steel support structure was being installed in November and December, our engineers were on the beach examining the substructure as part of their normal inspection regime.
“That allowed them to pull together a list of minor repairs that need to be carried out but which weren’t time sensitive – the sort of things that are a regular job for a structure of the pier’s age.”
The council said those repairs can only be carried out during each month’s spring low tides.
This is when the tide goes out far enough for contractors to ‘have a good amount of time on the beach’. To get the work done during the winter, when tides are shorter, ‘wasn’t an option’, the council added.
Photos showed teams in action over the first weekend of March.
The council explained: “Now though the tides are suitable, so our contractors are back on site tightening bolts and replacing tie bars and bull bars underneath the pier.
“We’ll keep you updated about our maintenance work as well as our plans to work with the community to create a blueprint so we can together safeguard the pier, the lido and other key heritage sites along our coastline, to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy these assets for the next 25 years and beyond.”
5. Worthing Pier repairs
Now the tides are suitable, contractors are back on site tightening bolts and replacing tie bars and bull bars underneath Worthing Pier Photo: Eddie Mitchell