Drilling paves way for work to save resort's historic piers

WORK to save "The Leaning Tower of Whitby" starts this month as engineers drill down to the seabed to find out what repairs are needed to preserve the resort's historic east pier extension.

A major scheme to restore the town's historic piers is due to start this summer after a report last year revealed they were crumbling and buckling, leaving the landward end of the east pier extension – the south-east corner – facing collapse.

Captain Cook's old port is famous all over the world. When the east and west piers were built they did not offer enough shelter so two extensions were built, linked by bridges.

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But the bridge to the east pier extension was removed years ago due to storm damage and the damaged, cut-off structure was dubbed The Leaning Tower of Whitby.

Yesterday, it was announced the ground investigation study will start this month to the inside face of the east pier extension. It will pave the way to the start of the main capital scheme this summer.

Three boreholes will be drilled – two of them through the pier itself – to monitor and understand the condition of the bedrock and seabed.

The fortnight's work, paid for by the Environment Agency, will also include installing equipment at both ends of the pier extension to measure waves and currents.

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Coun Peter Popple, portfolio holder for Land and Harbours, said: "Thanks to the council's coastal defence project team we are able to progress this urgent repair work. It hopefully will see the main capital scheme completed this summer and ensure the stability of the east pier extension for many more years."

It is the latest stage in an eight-year investigation which started when the council drew up the Whitby coastal defence strategy in 2002.

It identified parts of Whitby harbour nearing the end of their life, particularly the piers.