The world's longest pleasure pier has been struck by a boat for the 17th time.
The world’s longest pleasure pier has been struck by a boat for the 17th time in its 133 year life. The 1.3mile long Southend-on-Sea pier was struck by a fishing trawler at around 9:30 am this morning and has been closed pending an assessment by Council contractors.
A spokesman for Southend-on-Sea told MBM, “The pier is closed today whilst contractors and structural engineers inspect the damage. The boat has damaged two vertical pilings and some cross bracings, which is similar to the damage caused by a boat which struck the pier last year.”
In 2011 a moored barge came adrift and struck the pier, causing damage to the structure, and in 2005 the Pier was severely damaged following a fire which left only main iron structure. The heat was so extreme that it buckled the tracks, which means the pier railway can only run to within 15m of the end.
