Pier owner loses closure appeal

The last traders and businesses moved off the pier in November

An East Sussex pier closed down over safety concerns will remain shut after its owner lost an appeal.

The Hastings Pier case has been heard at Lewes Crown Court, where Ravenclaw Investments was told on Friday its appeal against the closure had failed.

The structure was shut by Hastings Borough Council last June, a move then made official by the town's magistrates' court in September.

The council said it welcomed the ruling to turn down the appeal.

Health and safety trial

Both parties said they would continue working to see if there was a way the pier could be reopened.

Ravenclaw spokesman Harmesh Pooni said: "That is a priority which has been lost over the past year."

A council spokeswoman said a judge at Lewes Crown Court had agreed with the local authority's evidence that the pier was in a dangerous state.

It will remain closed until magistrates decide otherwise.

Ravenclaw Investments and the pier's operator, Boss Management (UK) Ltd, are both due to stand trial in June accused of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.