Essential repair work, estimated at £350,000, could start on Littlehampton Pier at the end of this month.

Part of the entrance to the pier has recently been roped off due to subsidence.

Costings have been submitted to Arun District Council and members will select one so work can start.

The pier, which was built in 1736, has been in a state of disrepair for the past year.

Its wooden decking and parapet have fallen into a potentially dangerous state after storms last autumn.

The structure needs strengthening and a new wall installed. The cost will be met by the district council and West Sussex County Council.

An Arun spokesman said: "We hope work will start at the end of this month, before the winter storms arrive."

About 75 years ago, a public walkway had been added to the 18th-Century pier, which stands in the channel entrance to the River Arun.