![\"Southport](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/541636232_1383901633745552_3710260153144286914_n.jpg\")
Southport Pier on fire, August 31 2025(Image: Thomas Lee Bleakley)<\/p>\nThe devastating fire comes just over a month after Sefton Council confirmed it was gearing up for the pier’s grand reopening<\/p>\n
09:01, 01 Sep 2025Updated 09:06, 01 Sep 2025<\/p>\n
Southport Pier on fire, August 31 2025(Image: Thomas Lee Bleakley)<\/p>\n
Smoke erupted from Southport<\/a> Pier last night, Sunday (August 31) as a hut on the 165-year-old attraction went up in flames<\/a>. The grade II listed pier, which is the oldest iron pier in the country, caught fire shortly before midnight and spread around 20 metres before firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service told the ECHO<\/a>: “Fire crews were called to Southport Pier, on the promenade in Southport last night, August 31. Crews were alerted at 11.48pm and on scene at 11.54pm, with three fire engines in attendance. “Crews arrived to find a hut on fire on the pier affecting an area around 20 metres by five metres on and below the pier. “Crews secured water supplies and began to fight the fire, which had spread to a caf\u00e9 building, using main branch hoses both on the pier and from below it. “The main body of fire was extinguished by around 12.50am on the morning of September 1 and firefighters continued to damp down the scene and monitor for hot spots, with the fire completely extinguished by 1.34am. “Crews left the scene after handing over to Sefton<\/a> Council and security staff at 2.08am. The fire is believed to have been accidental, the cause being an electrical fault.”<\/p>\n The devastating fire occurred just two months after Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government’s intention to support the re-opening of Southport Pier,<\/a> which was “temporarily closed for essential maintenance” in 2022.<\/p>\n It was closed by Sefton<\/a> Council on the advice of structural engineers<\/a> after a period of extreme weather<\/a>. Necessary repairs were estimated to cost a whopping \u00a313 million.<\/p>\n The closure of the pier had a significant impact on the town’s leisure and tourism offer<\/a>, with many residents and business owners keen to see the pier re-opened.<\/p>\n In July, Sefton<\/a> Council leader Marion Atkinson confirmed that restoration works could start<\/a> “within six week to eight weeks” of new government cash being confirmed.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2025-09-01-at-083748jpeg.jpg\")
The aftermath of the fire on Southport Pier(Image: Colin Lane)<\/p>\n