Pier blaze cause remains unknown

The new owners bought the pier in a multi-million pound deal

An investigation into the cause of the fire which destroyed the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare has concluded the cause of the blaze remains unknown.

However, Avon Fire and Rescue Service suggested that the most likely cause was an electrical fault in the north east corner of the Pavilion.

The fire took hold of the partly wooden structure on 28 July, reducing it to a pile of twisted steel in 90 minutes.

The blaze is the second time the pier has burned down; the first was in 1930.

Then it took three years for the pavilion to be rebuilt.

The quarter-of-a-mile-long pier, which attracts thousands of visitors a year, reopened in April after a massive revamp.

It first opened in 1904 and was later bought by the Brenner family who sold it in a multi-million pound deal in February to brother and sister Michelle and Kerry Michael.

The Michaels had already spent £1m installing a go-kart track, a climbing wall and bar before the blaze.