Remains of pier on the brink

From the archive, first published Saturday 3rd Dec 2005.

A crashing wave left the last surviving building on the battered and burnt West Pier on the verge of collapse.

The historic box office, which has stood the test of time, weathered storms and survived two infernos after suspected arson attacks, slowly began to creak and sway precariously over the stormy sea yesterday.

Onlookers watching the rough sea crash against the coast saw a fierce wave smash into the pier shortly after noon.

They watched in awe as the frame beneath the kiosk began to sway back and forth.

Mike Robbins, 59, a former tour guide at the pier, was having fish and chips in the Melrose restaurant opposite the pier when he saw the big wave hit it as he looked out of the window.

He said: "Suddenly, I saw the tiny, little kiosk sway and move towards the sea. It's hanging on by a thread and will collapse into the sea with the next big wave."

During its heyday, thousands of tickets would have been sold from the box office to theatre-goers going to the pier's concert hall, the burnt remains of which crashed into the sea in June last year.

Experts yesterday said it could be a matter of hours before the sea claimed her final trophy from the remains of the wrecked pier.

Hanging on But the box office was not going without a fight and was still hanging by a thread last night.

The Brighton West Pier Trust said it had no choice but to leave the box office to crash into the sea.

Trust executives had estimated the cost of rescuing the kiosk at more than £100,000, due to the dangers posed to engineers and the need for specialist equipment.

Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of the trust, said someone would have to produce the cash pretty quickly if the kiosk was to be saved before tumbling into the waves.

He said: "It's another sad day. Unless someone can come up with £100,000 very soon then there is nothing we can do.

"That little kiosk was a symbol for the fight for life by the old West Pier."

Last year, the trust's hopes of restoring the pier with public money were dashed when the National Lottery Fund withdrew its support after the pier was severely damaged.

The trust, which has been battling to come up with a rescue plan for 30 years, hopes to announce proposals next year to build a new pier using surviving elements of the original Victorian structure.

It has refused to name any of the private companies behind the £15 million to £25 million proposals, which include leisure and business elements, but has confirmed several local businesses are involved.

Dr Lockwood said the metal kiosk would have been an exhibit in a heritage museum.

He said there was still a chance it could be saved even if does crash into the sea.

He said: "If it does end up in the sea, it won't affect the plans. A lot depends on how it falls and whether we can rescue it by boat.

"Otherwise we can replicate it, possibly using actual materials from the kiosk itself."

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Elgood has made reperated calls on Brighton and Hove City Council to save the pier.

He said: "The kiosk is an old lady's gasp of life. It's a shame we might not be able to keep it for the future."

Council leader Ken Bodfish said the pier belonged to the trust and was its responsibility.

He said: "It's very sad but there is nothing we can do.

We don't have the financial resources and it's not our responsibility."

The stormy sea carried on its relentless battering of the pier and the Sussex coastline throughout the day and long into the night.

A strong wind blowing across the English Channel pushed water to the English side and, at the same time, an area of low pressure across the channel caused waves to rise even higher.

A Meteorological Office spokesman said: "What has happened to the kiosk is not surprising given the combination of weather patterns which has produced higher waves than normal."

The strong winds were expected to continue overnight.

There was also a high probability of flash floods caused by thunderstorms.

At 11am yesterday, about 1,600 EDF Energy customers in Lewes, including Sussex Police headquarters Malling House, experienced a blackout.

Malling House's back-up supply kicked in immediately. EDF Energy engineers managed to restore power to the majority of customers within an hour and more than 500 customers had power restored by 2.20pm.

It is not yet known whether the strong winds were to blame for the power cut.

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