A petition has been started to help save Southport Pier after fears it may not reopen.
Southport Pier - which is the second longest in the country - was suddenly blocked off late last year after significant damage was found. Only months before the closure, Sefton Council had committed to a £3m investment to replace the wooden beams which make up the pier's surface.
Months on, there is still no end in sight and uncertainty surrounds just how long the closure may last. Now Cllr John Pugh has started a petition to persuade Sefton Council to do "what it takes to fully restore the Pier."
Cllr Pugh said: "I don't think it is a probability at the moment that it will be demolished but what is more likely is that the cost when they come in will give the council serious cause for concern and the opening will be delayed again. Most people in Southport would like the pier back quickly.
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"My concern is that this could be another Splash World which could take years to repair, they need to bite the bullet, and accept that it is going to be expensive. It is a central part of the area and we can't have two or three years of it being closed."
The pier itself has long been an important landmark. Since its construction in 1860, the pier has been the focal point of the town’s seaside heritage, having been visited by Charlie Chaplin, stopped at by steamers, and used as a base for searchlights during WWII.
In December 1990, a vote to demolish the Grade II listed structure was defeated by a single vote. Cllr Pugh was Sefton Council leader when restoration began in 2000 and it opened to the public in May 2002 thanks to work costing £7.2 million.
Cllr Pugh said: "The Pier has enormous symbolic importance because it is the great survivor while many other great landmarks in Southport have disappeared or changed. A declining pier that is an important symbol of Southport reflects badly on the town.
"I started the petition about two weeks ago and we are already up to 800 signatures which is great and the initial response has been fantastic."
A link to the petition can be found here.
Sefton Council have been approached for a comment but declined to respond.
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