Deal Pier to get £500k makeover

Work is due to start on the refurbishment in the spring of 2018

The last pleasure pier to be built in the UK is to be refurbished after securing a £500,000 council grant.

Deal Pier, which was opened almost 60 years ago by the Duke of Edinburgh, will see concrete structural repairs and the promenade deck resurfaced.

The 305m (1000ft) long Grade II listed pier is expected to remain open while the work takes place.

The refurbishment, also including the replacement of the timber seating, is due to begin in spring 2018.

Councillor Trevor Bartlett, from Dover District Council, which awarded the grant, said: "Deal Pier is a fantastic asset for the area.

"It's a major local landmark that is visited by many thousands of people, and we're very pleased to be able to approve these works to maintain and enhance this important amenity for the future."

The pier is a popular site for fishing and at the weekend will host a diamond jubilee open fishing competition in aid of Walmer RNLI.

It was officially opened on 19 November 1957.

The cafe at its head was opened in 2008 after a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) design competition.