A limited number of people will be allowed on to the pier

A 130ft section of the 1.34-mile long pier at Southend, Essex, was destroyed in a blaze in October.

Southend Borough Council, which owns the pier, said limited numbers of people were being allowed onto the structure while repair work continued.

Police have yet to establish the cause of the blaze which caused millions of pounds of damage but no-one was hurt.

The fire damaged shops, amusement arcades and the rail station which brought visitors onto the pier in trains.

History of damage

Temporary access was built immediately after the fire to allow crews to reach the lifeboat station at the end of the pier.

At 1.34 miles (2.16km), Southend Pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world. It opened in 1889, with extensions added in 1898, 1908 and 1929.

In 1959 a blaze destroyed the Pier Pavilion at the shore end. Then in 1976 a fire destroyed most of the 1908 Pier Head.

Ten years later the MV Kingsabbey sliced through the pier between the Old and the New Pier Heads, severing the lifeboat slipway and irreparably damaging the boathouse.

In 1995 fire struck again, this time destroying the bowling alley which had replaced the old Pier Pavilion.