Photos and video sent to ImJustBrighton by readers on Friday afternoon show what is left of the West Pier after Storm Austen brought part of it down. Brighton and Hove City Council says part of the western end of the pier has fallen into the sea. Put next to photos from 2024, the pictures show how much the ruin has changed.
Taken. About 2pm on Friday 23 October 2026, from the beach.
What the council says. Part of the western end of the pier has fallen into the sea. Stay away from the seafront while the storm continues.
What remains. The central iron frame still stands, with separate sections of ironwork either side of it.
Next. Storm Boelo is forecast for Saturday 24 October, according to Brighton and Hove News.
We reported the collapse earlier on Friday in Storm Austen: Brighton West Pier Collapses Into the Sea, What Is Left.
Storm Austen updates, newest first
7pm. The Met Office warnings page lists a yellow wind warning for East and West Sussex that runs until 9pm on Friday, with gusts of about 45 to 55mph. Its warnings for Saturday cover Scotland, northern England, Northern Ireland and parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire, and none are listed for Sussex.
Late afternoon. Brighton & Hove Seafront Team posts a video of the pier.
2pm. Readers send ImJustBrighton photos from the beach showing the central frame standing, with separate pieces of ironwork either side.
1.16pm. BBC South East publishes footage that shows one side of the pier collapsing as large waves hit it.
Early afternoon. The council’s Seafront Team posts its Storm Austen update on the West Pier and urges everyone to stay away from the seafront while the conditions continue.
10.20am. Brighton and Hove News reports that a “significant section” of the pier has fallen into the sea.
8.17am. Southern reports trees blocking lines at Moulsecoomb, Balcombe, Uckfield and Angmering, and Thameslink Cambridge to Brighton services are suspended. More in Storm Austen Sussex: Trains Cut and Trees Down Around Brighton.
6am. Gusts reach about 70mph at Bognor Regis, according to V2 Radio.
Before and after: the same view in 2024 and today
The 2024 photo on the left was taken from the same stretch of beach, looking out between the iron legs left standing from the old pier. Friday’s photo on the right shows the central frame still standing in the surf, with a gap between it and the ironwork on either side. The council says part of the western end, the right-hand side as you look out to sea, has fallen.
The pier in a storm, February 2024 and now
A second photo from the same reader, taken from further along the beach, shows the central frame between two separate pieces of ironwork, with white surf breaking across the gaps. In the February 2024 storm photo on the left the structure still ran together as one frame.
What the council says
The council’s Seafront Team published a “Storm Austen update” on Friday. It says part of the western end of the pier has fallen into the sea, and recognises how tempting it is to come and watch the waves. The advice is to stay away from the seafront while the conditions continue, keep children close, keep dogs on leads, stay well back from the shoreline and sea walls, and not approach damaged structures or debris. Anyone who sees someone in difficulty in the water should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Read the council’s post on Facebook or watch the Seafront Team’s video of the pier.
The fallen ironwork
Video sent to ImJustBrighton shows a tilted section of lattice girders lying in the water beside the base of the frame, with waves breaking over it. BBC South East reported that footage it obtained shows one side of the pier collapsing as large waves hit. Local filmmaker Simon Haffenden, who filmed it, told the BBC he heard a “huge crash”. According to Brit Brief, West Pier Trust member Kate Phillips said she believed the middle section would still stand.
The arches still standing
Another clip sent by a reader shows the tallest part of the frame, the row of curved arches, still standing as a heavy wave breaks beneath it and spray rises through the ironwork.
A pier that turned 160 this month
The West Pier opened on 6 October 1866, according to Wikipedia, so it turned 160 earlier this month. It is Grade I listed and closed to the public in 1975. Two fires in 2003 and a series of storms since left only the iron frame in the sea.
The West Pier Trust says the ruin has been in a state of active collapse for three decades and that it does not have the funds to hold it steady. It says the structure “is dangerous and should not be approached”, and that its plan is to mark the site, warn people to keep away and remove debris that reaches the beach at low water.
Staying safe
Keep well back from the water’s edge and sea walls while Storm Austen lasts, and do not go near the pier or any debris on the beach. More wind and rain are forecast, and Brighton and Hove News says Storm Boelo is due on Saturday.
Sources. Brighton & Hove City Council Seafront Team on Facebook, 23 October 2026; West Pier Trust; BBC South East via Yahoo News; Brighton and Hove News; Brit Brief; Wikipedia.
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