Worthing Pier closure: Fenced-off area may be extended 'slightly further' into promenade

Worthing Pier has been closed for safety reasons since October 10, after part of the structure suffered storm damage for the ‘first time in more than 25 years’.

Worthing Borough Council contractors have this week begun work on a temporary fix – ‘during the spring low tide’ – so that the pier can be reopened to the public.

The council has been providing daily updates, revealing on Wednesday evening (November 13) that the first piles had been ‘successfully installed’ next to Worthing Pier – the first pieces of the new steel structure that is designed to help support it, ‘so that we can safely reopen it to the public’.

"It’s been another very productive day for our contractors working at Worthing Pier, with one new pile being fitted early this morning and the final three piles this afternoon,” Thursday’s update on social media read.

"From tomorrow the six piles will all be cut to exactly the same height so that the rest of the new steel structure can be fitted to them to help support the pier. This is vital if we are to reopen the pier to the public safely.”

The council said ‘additional materials and machinery’ will be delivered to the contractors’ seafront compound today (Friday).

"So we may need to extend the fenced-off area slightly further into the promenade,” the statement read.

"A large proportion of the promenade will still be open to the public though.

“We will continue to try to keep disruption to a minimum but there could continue to be some noise during both the early hours of the morning and tomorrow afternoon.”

The borough council said earlier this week that staff are keen to allow residents and visitors back onto the pier ‘as soon as possible’.