Clevedon comes second in pier of year competition

CLEVEDON Pier in North Somerset has been pipped into second place in the Pier of the Year contest by Essex rival Clacton.

The Essex attraction re-opened to the public on July 4 as lockdown measures were eased, having been closed since late March.

It was named as 2020 Pier of the Year by the National Piers Society, pipping Clevedon, below, and third-placed Brighton Palace Pier.

The society said the award recognised a decade of improvements made by Clacton Pier’s owners, brothers Billy and Elliot Ball.

Billy Ball, director and co-owner of Clacton Pier, said: “This has been an incredibly difficult time for all 61 piers around the country and to pick up the award is the perfect morale booster for us.”

Tim Wardley, chairman of the National Piers Society, said: “Seaside piers have long been prime generators of inward investment to the resorts they serve and are the beating hearts of seaside communities.”