Pier future monitored as company faces liquidation

The future of Eastbourne Pier is being monitored closely after a company linked to the owner was put into compulsory liquidation, Eastbourne Borough Council has said.

The authority said the attraction was "iconic and much-loved" and its priority was to try to ensure it stays open for residents, visitors and businesses.

Sheikh Abid Gulzar bought the pier in 2015 and is the only director of Lions Pier Limited, which Companies House records show is in liquidation.

He is due to go on trial in November after pleading not guilty to 10 counts of fraud totalling £150,000 relating to water bills at hotels in East Sussex. The BBC has approached Sheikh Abid Gulzar for comment.

In a statement, the council said the pier was "an iconic and much-loved seafront attraction" and its priority was to try to secure an outcome that ensured it remained open for residents, visitors and businesses based on the pier.

The statement said: "While the pier has always been in private ownership, council officers routinely check its general condition and these checks will continue."

Gulzar bought the pier more than 10 years ago after it was badly damaged by fire.

About one third of the Grade II* listed structure was destroyed in the blaze on 30 July 2014, and it was put up for sale the following summer.

The pier had been a major attraction in the seaside town since its official opening in 1870.

During its lifetime, the pier has featured attractions including docking facilities for paddle steamers, a ballroom, a theatre, a music pavilion and a camera obscura.

It was damaged by a mine during World War Two, suffered a fire in 1970, and was also damaged during the Great Storm of 1987.

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