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A British seaside town is struggling after being left in a state of permanent lockdown thanks to health and safety closure – a situation compounded by the sea vanishing.
Southport’s pier has been shuttered for five months and shows little sign of opening once again, with abandoned amusements and evacuated eateries.
The Southport Pier Pavilion, Merseyside, looks like it was ditched in a hurry, with the Mirror reporting bolted ice cream stands and music playing from amusements to no one.
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Saffron Otter reported that Christmas decorations are still out in some places, making the town feel like something from a horror movie.
The country’s second-oldest pier has a rich history but these days it’s not in its finest form – and locals have taken notice.
Speaking to the outlet, 67-year-old Colin Jamieson is an operator of two of the attractions on the pier and is devastated about the state of things at the moment.
He said it was like being in lockdown, except without the government help and subsidies businesses received throughout the pandemic.
He said: "Any company that isn't trading for six months, it's going to go bust and the staff are going to leave. It's terrifying, we have no income.
"The longer it goes on, it's going to kill our company.
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"I'm using what is left in the bank to keep things afloat. I have two daughters, one is 42 and the other 35.
"They have homes and kids to look after and they aren't earning any money.
"Everyone works for me, my son-in-law works for me, the whole family works for me. They're all suffering.
"No one wants to be seen as unethical and immoral. To do this to a company, to anyone, it's not right."
He is forced to comply with health and safety demands surrounding the pier as part of his tenancy agreement.
"We were closed without any warning whatsoever," he recalls.
"This pier has been here 160 years now and it’s been rebuilt a few times along the way.
"It's had ice damage every year and this timber on it now has been down for 20 years. It has never caused any problems and it never will."
He reckons that if the pier remains shut for the busy summer season he could miss out on £600,000 in turnover.
Max Wright, the manager of Wright’s Diner added: "It's just a shame, isn't it?"
"It diverts people, they can't really get it to us so it is affecting us. You can't get to the beach easily anymore."
Unrelated to the pier, visitors have also complained about the sea being rather far away and hard to access.
Taking to TripAdvisor, one person said: "Does the tide ever come in? I can't find one picture of it even over the net."
Another shared: "Beach is clean but where is the sea?? We went to the end of the pier and still no sea."
Terry O’Toole told the outlet: "It [the sea] is in now but you might not see it again for three weeks," before moving on to the importance of the pier.
"It's the main thing in the town," Terry says. "It's the first place people head to and always have done. It looks like we're still in the pandemic now."
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: "As previously stated, the survey being carried out on Southport Pier involves a thorough and intrusive assessment of the 3,600ft structure.
"Due to the detailed nature of this assessment and the complexity of Southport Pier's structure, the survey takes time to complete.
"However we will update both business owners directly and the public through our official communication channels as soon as possible.
"We appreciate this is a frustrating time for everyone but health and safety remains our priority."
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