Pier to reopen fully in time for Easter!
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is delighted to announce that the Pier will be fully reopened to the public in time for the Easter holiday weekend.
The World famous landmark had to be closed to the public after it was hit by a fishing vessel on February 17th.
Following the completion of emergency repair works the Council was able to start opening the pedestrian walkway at weekends only from March 10th.
It was then shut again on weekdays to enable engineers to complete permanent repairs to both the walkway and the Pier railway track.
But now all of the essential repairs necessary to get the Pier fully reopened again have been completed – just in time for the busy Easter holiday weekend.
Head of Enterprise, Tourism and Regeneration, Anita Thornberry, said: “I am delighted that we are able to fully reopen the Pier in time for Good Friday.
“Council staff involved in the work and our engineers have pulled out all the stops to enable us to get up and running again for one of the busiest weekends of the year and we are very grateful to them.
“It was hugely frustrating to have to close the Pier again – particularly in such galling circumstances and again through no fault of our own – but we just have to look forward now.
“I would urge anyone who needs to blow their Easter cobwebs away to have a stroll along the walkway or take the Pier train this weekend – it’s a great way to get some fresh air.”
The Pier had to shut after the Leigh-based fishing vessel Paul Patrick collided with the vertical pilings between Shelter A and Shelter B at 7am on February 17th.
Nobody was hurt in the collision but vertical support pilings, horizontal beams, a quantity of cross bracing and a lamp column were damaged.
Contractors from Fairport Engineering had only just repaired the damage caused to the Pier when a barge moored alongside it was forced into the pilings in heavy seas in September 2011.
