A major local landmark has reopened in Southend – on the weekends at least.
Southend Pier has been closed to the public for almost a month since a fishing vessel collided with the world’s longest pleasure pier in the middle of February.
The local tourist attraction has been blighted with problems over the past few years, including a fire that destroyed the bowling alley in 1995 and another blaze which saw buildings collapsing into the sea and damage the railway 10 years later.
However, recent emergency repair works to the pedestrian walkway meant that Southend Pier was accessible to the public over the last weekend – with admission set at just £1 for the weekend to celebrate.
Unfortunately, with much work still to be done, the pier will only be open at weekends until the end of this month to enable the maintenance crews to complete the repairs, but it is hoped that this will be completed by that deadline.
But the good news will have to wait for sea anglers, who will have to wait until further notice until they can fish from the end of Southend Pier again.
