Part of Brighton's West Pier collapses during Storm Austen

Summarised from 3 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 23 Oct, 16:50 · Archive

A section of Brighton's historic West Pier has collapsed into the sea during Storm Austen.

A large section of Brighton's West Pier collapsed into the sea on Friday as Storm Austen battered the UK with high winds and large waves. The famous landmark in East Sussex, which first opened in 1866, has suffered major damage during previous storms in late 2002 and fires in 2003, but this marks a fresh loss of the deteriorating structure.

Witness Simon Haffenden, who filmed the collapse, described the moment to the BBC: 'You heard the bang of the wave and then there was a huge crash. It was an incredible sound, but it was really shocking. I was very lucky to catch it.' Kate Phillips, a member of the West Pier Trust responsible for the remains, said she believed the middle section would withstand the storm, expressing 'faith in Victorian infrastructure'.

The pier, which was extended in 1893 with a large pavilion, was closed to the public in 1975 due to safety concerns and has become increasingly derelict. Storm Austen brought gusts of up to 80mph to areas around the south coast on Friday.

How it is being reported

• Brighton's historic West Pier crumbles into the sea as Storm Austen batters UK coastAs Storm Austen continues to wreak havoc, Brighton's once-thriving West Pier was hammered by the vicious waves, as some of the already-battered structure vanished into the seaThe Mirror · 23 Oct, 18:40
• Part of historic Brighton pier collapses as storms bring heavy disruptionThe historic West Pier in Brighton was set alight in 2003, and its skeletal remains have become a feature of the seaside town ever since.Evening Standard · 23 Oct, 17:01
• Part of historic Brighton pier collapses as storms bring heavy disruptionThe historic West Pier in Brighton was set alight in 2003, and its skeletal remains have become a feature of the seaside town ever since.Evening Standard · 23 Oct, 16:31
• Part of Brighton's West Pier collapses into the sea as Storm Austen batters UKFootage widely shared online shows the right-side of the famous landmark collapsing into the water as it is battered by large wavesEvening Standard · 23 Oct, 15:32
• Watch: Moment part of Brighton's historic West Pier collapsesFootage taken during Storm Austen shows a section of the famous landmark battered by large waves and collapsing into the water.BBC News · 23 Oct, 14:03

In this story: Brighton · West Pier · Storm Austen · East Sussex · Simon Haffenden · Kate Phillips · West Pier Trust

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