Southend Pier

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Southend Pier

It’s all about the maintenance.

Every seaside town has something in common – sea, beaches, cafés, amusements of some kind or another – and some towns have piers. What sets Southend-on-Sea apart from the others is the fact that it has the longest leisure pier in the world.

Completed in 1889 and at over 1.3 miles in length, visitors can opt for a bracing walk to the pier head or take the train which shuttles back and forth throughout the day. The pier is a fabulous structure and is what the town is famous for.

But it is over 130 years old and it is only because of the long-term determination on the part of the local authority to maintain the pier in a state that is safe for visitors to enjoy, that the pier is still open.

Recently, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council went through the process of appointing a specialist contractor to handle a major maintenance and refurbishment project on the pier. UK Industrial Services were awarded the contract and have just completed the first phase.

UKIS has generated a reputation for its work on Victorian era iron and steel work and for their ability to devise ways of completing a project without huge disruption to the day-to-day running of a pier. At Southend pier, a series of temporary structures bolted to the side of the pier and a double gantry system has allowed work to continue regardless of the state of the tide and with minimal disruption.

This has enabled the first phase of the project – the installation of new spine beams and the refurbishment of old spine beams and pile tops to be completed on time and to budget. UK Industrial Services has now been awarded the second phase which again consists of spine beam replacement along with new bracings, deck beams and pile tops.

In addition to Southend Pier, UK Industrial Services is currently working on piers at Cromer and Mumbles.