Hastings Pier restoration aided by barge arrival

A barge and crane have arrived at Hastings Pier to provide a base for work on the structure ravaged by a fire in October 2010.

The derelict pier, which was further damaged by storms in February, is undergoing a £14m restoration.

Workmen will demolish the ballroom and use the barge as a platform from which to install new steel work and columns.

Almost 40% of the restoration work has been completed. The Hastings Pier Trust hopes to reopen the pier next summer.

About 95% of the 140-year-old Grade II pier was damaged in an arson attack in October 2010, following years of neglect.

The 140-year-old structure was severely damaged by fire in 2010

Some 45 miles (72km) of decking is being relaid as part of the restoration project.

Most of the money for the work has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The pier was opened in 1872 and during the 20th Century it was the venue for dances and concerts by The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley.

It had been closed since 2006 because of fears it was unsafe, and only the week before the fire architects had been invited to submit designs to redevelop it.