Pier blaze: The rivals

In recent years, wrangling between the two has become bitter.

But last night Dr Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of the West Pier Trust, said he was shocked and saddened by the damage to the Palace Pier.

He said: "Whatever our disagreements with the current owners of the Palace Pier, we are great fans of the pier itself.

"We have tremendous sympathy and sadness. The Palace Pier is a lovely pier. The people of Brighton love it. We will be very sad if any lasting damage has been caused."

Dr Lockwood said he believed any structural damage would be minor: "Given the amount of business the Palace Pier has, I can't see it being crippling economic damage."

When the West Pier opened in October 1866, it was hailed as 'one of the finest structures in Europe'.

Ironically, considering its current state of near-collapse, newspaper reports at the time applauded its 'solidarity of construction'.

Predictably, tide and time took their toll, while man did not keep up with their demands.

After the golden days of the Twenties, and the interruption of the Second World War, Eugenius Birch's once noble structure began a battle for survival.

And recent years of bitter arguments have allowed one of Britain's most important landmarks to slide into the sea.

The West Pier, the only Grade I listed pier in the country, has found itself tangled in red tape and surrounded by controversy on all sides from the day it opened.

It was built in 1866 despite opposition from neighbours in Regency Square. It closed in 1975. Apart from some emergency work, little attention has been paid to it for three decades.

In December 1998 chunks of decking fell into the sea, leaving the pier virtually split in two.

The following year Prince Charles, who has always shown a keen interest in the pier, visited the decaying structure and offered his support.

Boxer Chris Eubank has twice tried to save the pier. In 1996 he said he wanted to buy it so he could live on it but his plans were rejected by the West Pier trust because they wanted to keep the landmark accessible to the public.

Then in 1999 he launched a second bid and formed a consortium to rescue it. But again his plans came to nothing.

Last July Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said the pier would be lost forever if restoration work was not carried out immediately. Nothing happened.

Then, late last year, experts predicted the Grade I listed pier would not survive a further pounding from the elements. On December 29 they were proved right.

A temporary walkway connecting the historic concert hall to the pavilion collapsed and original supports holding the concert hall in place fell into the sea, leaving part of the hall hanging precariously above the surf.

The pier's owners blamed delays caused by the Palace Pier's legal action for the collapse, saying work would otherwise have already begun.

The Noble Organisation, which runs the Palace Pier, had complained to the European Commission that plans to use £14.2 million of Lotto money for a largely commercial venture was unfair competition.

The commission ruled against Noble - a decision which is now being appealed in the European Courts. As a result, the Lotto money has been sitting in the bank since 1996.

Further controversy erupted when the West Pier Trust and its commercial partner, St Mowden, announced plans to build a two-storey commercial development on the seafront to provide financial support for the restoration.

After December's collapse, pictures of the drooping pier were beamed around the world and gave Brighton its highest profile since the IRA bombing in the Eighties.

Dr Lockwood said he hoped the collapse would act as a wake-up call and remove the remaining technical and legal hurdles. But before any of that could happen the pier suffered a further collapse.

On January 20, battered by strong winds and spring tides, another huge section of the pier lurched into the sea.

Tthe West Pier Trust is still determined to go ahead with its £30 million renovation plan.