Outlook for West Pier looks bleak

All that is left of the pier is a metal skeleton cut off from the land

English Heritage has withdrawn support for the restoration of Brighton's West Pier - which could end the hopes of returning it to its former glory.

The pier closed in 1975 but campaigners planned to restore and re-open it.

But two fires and damage from a series of storms in the last two years reduced the structure to a bare steel skeleton.

On Thursday, an English Heritage spokesman said the last storm had been the final straw and said it was "inevitable" it would be demolished.

Without English Heritage our position is extremely weak Rachel Clark, West Pier Trust

In June's storms, the remains of the concert hall, one of the two sections of the pier still standing, fell into the sea.

It left the frame of the ballroom isolated in the sea and cut off from the shore.

At the time, pier owners the West Pier Trust were still hopeful English Heritage would come up with a restoration plan.

A spokeswoman said at the time that if the plans failed the pier would probably be written off.

On Thursday Dr Andy Brown of English Heritage said: "Really the pier is beyond saving now.

"The storm was the last straw, it took out the last of the really important historical material, the original fabric of the pier.

The concert hall collapsed during storms in June

"I think that probably the health and safety issues mean we ought to bring this to a rapid close now."

Restoration plans had already been thrown into doubt before this year's storm when a £14m award from the Heritage Lottery Fund was withdrawn.

Rachel Clark of the West Pier Trust admitted the latest withdrawal of support was a big blow for the restoration campaign.

She told the BBC: "Without English Heritage our position is extremely weak.

"They have always backed the restoration of the pier ever since it was closed in the 1970s.

"We're not going to go lying down - we will have a full public consultation about the merits of restoring the pier and do everything we can, everything within our power, to see it happen.

"It's a huge and terrible blow for the West Pier but we won't go quietly.

"We will do everything we can to see the restoration of the West Pier in some way or other."