Sefton Council is not yet able to give any timescale on when Southport Pier might reopen to the public.
The local authority has now appointed expert structural engineers to carry out work on the landmark pier, the second longest in the country at over a kilometre long.
It has been closed since being severely damaged by frost and sub-zero temperatures which struck in December.
Officers said that the survey into the structure of the pier is ongoing and until they have the survey results, they will not be in a position to explore timescales
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said:
“Expert structural engineers have been appointed by the council to carry out the extensive work required to ensure Southport Pier can be reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.
“The engineers’ work involves carrying out an extensive survey of the overall 3,600ft structure starting with a detailed examination of the pier’s decking and timber supports. After that they will be moving on to assess its steelwork.
“The council expects to receive initial results from the timber survey in the coming weeks and will be providing further updates in due course.
“With feedback still awaited on the survey, no Southport Air Show tickets are for sale at this time on the Pier.
“In the meantime, we would like to reiterate our thanks to all stakeholders and visitors for their patience and support in ensuring people’s safety.”
Southport Pier was closed to the public until further notice in December as a result of extreme cold weather damage and ice.
Freezing temperatures caused significant damage to the pier’s decking boards.
Sefton Council announced last year an ambitious project to replace more than 53 miles of decking boards along the iconic structure.
While the pier has undergone extensive repairs and refurbishments over the last 160 years, a £3 million project to replace the wooden decking along its entire 1.1km length was revealed recently by Sefton Council.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said in December:
“Council officers and contractors had hoped to ensure the Pier remained open to the public during these works. However the extremely cold weather, which saw temperatures so low that the sea at Ainsdale and Birkdale froze in places, caused additional damage to the decking.
“Moisture within the planks and joists froze causing the decking to lift away from its fixings and we are concerned this could present a safety issue to anyone attempting to walk down the pier.
“While we do not take this decision lightly, the temporary closure of Southport Pier is wholly necessary to keep people safe.
“We fully appreciate this may come as a blow to concessionaires on and around the pier however we are confident that they, like the council, would not want anyone to be put at risk of harm by venturing onto the pier in current conditions.”
Southport Pier will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so. Regular inspections will take place and updates will be shared in due course.
Repairs to the Pier date back to as early as 1890 and during its long history it has fallen victim to incredibly powerful storm damage, boat crashes and numerous fires in the 19th and 20th century.
In 2018, extensive repairs and repainting works were carried out by Sefton Council to the Pier’s steelwork to combat corrosion from the sea.
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