Southend: World's longest pier sees record visitor numbers

Southend Pier, the longest pleasure pier in the world, has seen record visitor numbers this year already

The longest pleasure pier in the world has already seen its busiest year on record - with two months still to run.

Southend Pier - which stretches for 1.34 miles (2.2km) - welcomed 392,025 people until the end of October, the council said.

The figure is an increase of almost 25,000 on the previous record of 364,142 visitors, set in 2018.

Southend-on-Sea City Council said investment in its "jewel in the crown" was having a "positive effect".

The pier also recorded its busiest-ever October, with more than 27,000 people "walking the planks and riding the trains" - more than 2,000 more than 2018.

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Halloween on the Pier "attracted hundreds of additional visitors", the council said, with winter walks and Christmas events also planned, as well as the reopening of the Royal Pavilion and the End of the Pier restaurant.

Southend Pier was extensively damaged by fire in 2005

The introduction of an electric pier train service also experienced teething issues in August.

Liberal Democrat Carole Mulroney, Southend-on-Sea City Council cabinet member for environment, culture and tourism, said the pier continued "to go from strength to strength".

"To break previous records is incredible and to do it in month 10 is even more impressive," she said.

"This shows that our continued investment in the jewel in the crown of Southend-on-Sea is having a positive effect as we continue to welcome more people as the years go by."