'We feared pier businesses would go up in smoke'

A fire broke out on Southport Pier last Saturday

After the "living nightmare" of having all of her family businesses on a Victorian pier closed down for three years, a woman has described her sheer horror when she was woken in the early hours of the morning to be told a fire was burning on the landmark.

Natalie Jamieson-Morrison said the blaze on Southport Pier was another "devastating" blow as she feared all their units were going to be destroyed by the flames.

The news of the fire on Saturday felt like the "cherry on the top" of everything they had been through, she added.

It comes as Southport MP Patrick Hurley said he was pushing for the restoration work that the government has committed to fund to start quickly.

Natalie Jamieson-Morrison (right) with her sister Joanne Jamieson said the pier closure has been a "living nightmare" for the family

Chancellor Rachel Reeves named the Grade II-listed pier in the Spending Review in June as one of the projects which would benefit from a new Growth Mission Fund.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said Saturday's fire was "accidental" and was believed to have been caused by an "electrical fault".

Sefton Council said it did not cause significant damage to the landmark which was first built in 1860 and is the second longest pier in the UK.

Businessman Colin Jamieson has had to shut all his concessions on the pier

Southport Pier closed in December 2022 over safety concerns.

Ms Jamieson-Morrison's family have been running businesses on the pier for more than 20 years employing 10 staff with more than 20 seasonal staff.

The fire had started outside one of their units which was a souvenir shop and smoothie bar.

She said her "heart sank" when she got the news it was on fire, adding that the 2022 shutdown still "devastates us daily".

"It has completely devastated our family and our livelihood, along with our whole workforce who were put out of work with one day's notice," she said.

'Rotting away'

It has been a big blow in particular for her father Colin Jamieson, 70, who started in business 40 years ago.

"This business has been his life's work, his legacy for his family, and he is forced to stand by and watch his life long investment just crumble," she said.

Ms Jamieson-Morrison said prior to the forced closure the firm spent £250,000 of investment on the cafe and two new kiosks.

"This is now just sitting and rotting away," she said.

She said she would be "ecstatic" if restoration work could "begin as promised" but added: "We also desperately need some sort of compensation package to get us back up and running again."

Southport Pier is the second longest pier in the UK

Labour MP Hurley said on his Facebook account he was "relieved emergency services did such a good job of putting out the fire before it did too much damage".

He added: "Central government has now committed the funding to restore the pier and have it reopened and back to its former glory, so I'll now be pushing for the work to start quickly to make sure it's secure for generations to come."

Meanwhile, Sefton Council said it continued to "liaise with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and we expect to hear more detail about the process and timescales for the recently announced Growth Mission Fund, which will fund refurbishment of the Pier, very shortly".

"Any repairs necessary as a result of this fire will of course be factored into those works," it added.

A Treasury spokesperson said: "We are establishing a Growth Mission Fund to expedite local projects that are important for growth, such as Southport Pier.

"More details regarding the Fund will be released in coming weeks."