Work is progressing to reopen a storm damaged pier.

Worthing Borough Council contractors have successfully installed the first piles next to Worthing Pier, which has been closed since October 10 after damage was discovered to one of the structure’s underside supports.

The piles are the first pieces of the new temporary steel structure that is designed to help support the pier so that it can be safely reopened to the public and permanent repairs can be carried out.

The work can only be done during spring low tides, the council said, when the sea goes out far enough for the teams of engineers to operate under the pier.

Tuesday afternoon saw the first spring low tide of November, enabling contractors to begin work scanning the ground to check its stability and then drilling the first two of six holes in which will sit new piles either side of the pier.

Engineers at Worthing Pier Engineers at Worthing Pier (Image: Worthing Borough Council)

A council spokesman said “The first two piles were then driven into the seabed until only around a third of each was left above the surface of the beach. The intention is that the remaining four piles will be driven into the seabed in the coming days so that the supporting structure can be built on top of them.

“The new steel support structure is designed to take the weight off damaged piles so they can be replaced.

“We will aim to keep disruption to a minimum but unfortunately there will be some noise during the work - including in the early hours of tomorrow morning.”

The closure devastated Perch on the Pier and fellow restaurant Tern with both having to shut their doors suddenly.

Tern relocated to East Beach Café in Littlehampton and is offering limited dinner services to help mitigate the financial implications of the shock closure.

Perch has another site in Beach Parade, Worthing, and in Lancing and Eastbourne. Bosses at the restaurant and café brand expressed their optimism at the beginning of this month at the progress of repairs and reopened their bookings for November 22 onwards.

The pier’s closure also saw the cancellation of the much-loved Worthing Lions fireworks display on November 5.